INEC Declares APC’s Ododo Kogi Governor-Elect
BY VICTOR BUORO – Amid contentions over the fake election results that trended on social media, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Governor-elect of Kogi State.
Ododo’s declaration as winner of Saturday’s Governorship election in the North Central State was made by the Returning Officer, Professor Johnson Urama of the University of Nigeria, Nsuka, who announced the results at INEC state collation centre in Lokoja, the state capital, on Sunday night.
According to the Commission, a breakdown of the results showed that APC’s Ododo polled 446,237, while his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) polled 259,052 votes. In third place is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dino Melaye who scored 46,362 votes followed by Hon. Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Party (ADP) with a total of 21,819 votes.
In announcing the results, Prof Urama said; “Ahmed Ododo having certified the requirements of the law is hereby declared winner and returned elected”, adding that the number of canceled votes in the areas where the election did not hold was 16, 247 and could not substantially affect the outcome of the result.
Interestingly, INEC had before the declaration, announced that fresh polls would be conducted on Saturday, November 18, 2023, in some polling units in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the state where the exercise was earlier suspended in Kogi state.
National Commissioner and Member of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna disclosed this in a statement issued Sunday night in Abuja.
He said; “Further to our Statement yesterday, we have received an update from our Kogi State office regarding the suspension of election in some locations in the State where result sheets were completed before the commencement of voting. The most critical incident occurred in nine out of 10 Wards in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area (LGA).”