Nigeria: Information on the most recent Presidential and Governorship election
By Correspondent Chinyere Ogbonna – Twenty-four governors, nine hundred and thirty-five legislators from the nine hundred and ninety state federal constituencies in the country contested elections into the National Assembly on the Tuesday 26th April 2011.
The nine hundred and thirty-five lawmakers are from thirty-four states where state Assembly polls took place with the exception of Bauchi and Kaduna states.
However, governorship election took place later in Kaduna and Bauchi states due to post election violence which erupted in the areas.
In Anambra South -East Nigeria, Anambra South PDP state Assembly candidates, Julius Oforma and Nwabunike Iju were arrested by security operatives for tearing INEC sheets as results were being announced in favour of APGA candidate, Chris Ajubuogu, while journalist were also arrested, and their cameras seized.
Confirming the arrest, the Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Mohammed Indabawa said the arrest was necessary to forestall any violent reaction from other party supporters and stressed that any further electoral offence will not be condoned.
The former Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chris Ngige has emerged victorious over Professor Dora Akunyili, of the All Progressive Grand Alliance and former Minister of Information in the present administration, beating her with a margin of 463 votes.
The Returning Officer Prof. Charles Esimonye said Dr. Ngige of the ACN polled 69,765 votes, Dora Akunyili of APGA scored 69, 292 votes, the Accord Party’s Annie Okonkwo got 20, 047 votes, while PDP’s Oguguo Okoye got 18,705 votes.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP, candidate in Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has emerged winner of the governorship election held in the State on Tuesday, with overwhelming victory; putting him ahead of other contestants that participated in the exercise.
The election, which was generally peaceful across the length and breadth of the state also witnessed large turnout of eligible voters who participated in the exercise.
The election results analysis as announced by the Returning Officer for the State, Professor Rasheed Aderinoye, showed that Alhaji Ahmed scored the highest number of votes and the mandatory 25% in the 16 Local Government Areas across the State.
The breakdown also indicated that the PDP won 22 out of the 24 seats in the State Assembly poll.
According to the results, the PDP candidate, Alhaji Ahmed polled 254,969 votes to defeat his first runner up from the Acton Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mr Mohammed Dele Belgore, SAN, who scored 152,580 votes, followed by Senator Gbemisola Rukayat Saraki of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, with 72,456 votes and the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, candidate, Alhaji Abdulrazak Abdulrahman, who came fourth with 10,042 votes respectively.
With this result, Alhaji Ahmed had won the gubernatorial election convincingly and has therefore been formally declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the State.
The PDP victory in the State has confirmed the acceptance of its people-oriented policies and programmes under the purposeful and dynamic administration of Dr Bukola Saraki in the past eight years in the State.
The result has further confirmed Kwara State as one of the few PDP States that have delivered hundred per cent victory to the party in the just concluded general elections in the country.
Meanwhile, the out-going governor, Dr Bukola Saraki has congratulated the winner of the gubernatorial poll in the State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed on his overwhelming victory at the polls.
He described Alhaji Ahmed’s victory as the greatest thing that has happened in the state in recent time and commended the entire people of the State for their support and for collectively speaking with one voice.
Dr Saraki, however, urged the governor-elect to extend his olive branch to the other opponents that contested the election with him in the true spirit of democracy.
He also enjoined the people of the State to extend their hands of cooperation to Alhaji Ahmed in order to enjoy more dividends of democracy.
In the same vein, the Jigawa state Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido was also re-elected as Governor of the state with 676,307 votes.
Declaring the result of the election, the Returning Officer, Professor Dahiru Aminu said Lamido defeated Gubernatorial Candidates of the CPC, ACN and ANPP, Alhaji Farouq Adamu Aliyu, Barrister Ibrahim Hassan and Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar.
Professor Aminu said the ACN scored 343,177 votes, ANPP got 12,124, and CPC scored 56,911 respectively.
He said total registered votes in the state stood at 1,855,291, while total votes casted was 1,153,621.He added that valid votes during the election was 194,549 and rejected votes stood at 59,072.
The PDP governorship candidate Mr Abdul Fatai Ahmed won with 254,969 votes; ACN polled 152,580 votes while ACPN has 72,456 votes to come a distant third.
The election in Kwara, which initially was believed by many to be a two-way house race however showed that the ACN was also in the reckoning for the governorship. By this another PDP government will be in power for the next four years.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has scheduled supplementary election to hold in selected areas in Imo State on Friday,May 6th,2011. This followed the April 26th, 2011 Governorship Elections in the State which the Returning Officer ruled inconclusive.
The supplementary election will hold in four (4) local government areas namely Ngor-Okpalla, Mbaitoli, Oguta and Egbema, as well as in Orji ward in Owerri North local government area.
INEC urges all stakeholders to ensure the highest level of integrity and good conduct in the supplementary election to allow for smooth conclusion of the governorship poll.
Meanwhile, The leadership of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has appealed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),Professor Attahiru Jega to declare its candidate in Imo state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha as winner of the Governorship elections that took place on the 26th of April.
The National Chairman of the party, Victor Umeh at the headquarters of the party in Abuja, said the results collated from the different local governments before the elections were declared inconclusive shows that its candidate has the most votes and so he should be declared.
The party also appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene into the matter even as it alleged that the Peoples’ Democratic Party is attempting to bring up fictitious votes to overturn the APGA lead.
Meanwhile, soldiers have taken over the city of Owerri, the Imo State capital, forty-eight hours after the state governorship election was declared inconclusive.
This followed the tension generated by angry supporters of the political parties who protested calling on INEC to announce the results of the election in the wake of widespread suspicion of manipulation.
Following the development, soldiers have taken over strategic positions in the state capital, Owerri, guarding government institutions and parastatals, also had their camp beds with them, an indication that they were prepared to stay as long as was necessary in the city.
Beside the fact that the 34 Artillery Brigade is located in Owerri, additional troops were deployed from the Army 82 Division, Enugu.
Speaking to journalists, the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, 82 Division, Enugu, Musa Sagir, a Lieutenant Colonel, said the move became necessary following recent development in the state to take pre-emptive measures to forestall any breakdown of low and order in the state and ensure security of live and property.
According to Mr Sagir, the soldiers who arrived Owerri 5am Friday morning, were led by Ibrahim Agbab, a Brigadier General, and the Chief of Staff, 82 Division, and Bala Isandu, a Colonel, and Commander, Intelligent Unit, 82 Division, and are still being deployed to flashpoints in the state. He added that their presence should re-assure the citizenry and not cause panic.
In Delta state, south-south Nigeria the incumbent governor and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has won the April 26 Delta state governorship election.
The PDP candidate who recently won a re-run election in January, defeated his closest opposition, Mr Great Ogboru of the Democratic People’s Party [DPP] with 525, 793 votes.
Announcing the results at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Asaba, the Delta state capital, the State Returning Officer, Mr. Abuhime Richard Amao announced that the total votes cast were 1, 051,229, rejected votes, 33, 995 and valid votes, 1,017,234.
The Candidate of the DPP who came second place polled 433, 834 votes while the ACN who came third place polled 15, 526 votes.
The Accord Party Candidate for Oshimili North in the Delta State Assembly, also in the south-south Nigeria, Princess Pat Ajudua was shot on the 26th of April 2011.
The Police Public relations Officer in the State, Mr. Charles Muka, confirmed that she was shot in her shoulder at her ward in Ibuzor, but that another person was shot dead.
Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, also in the south-south region of the country, has been declared winner of the governorship election held on Tuesday across the 31 local government areas.
Akpabio who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, scored 957,585 out of 1,148,433 total valid votes cast, to beat 13 other contestants in the race.
However, the PDP candidate failed to win in Uruan and Uyo Local Government Areas considered as the stronghold of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, to the ACN in these areas.
Announcing the results, the state Returning Officer for the governorship poll, Professor, Mrs. Comfort Ekpo stated that the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN governorship candidate, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe came second with a total of 163,449 votes.
The Congress for Progressive Change,CPC, Mr. Lawrence Esin came third with 15,660 followed by the Alliance for Democracy, AD, Mr. Asuquo Ekanem who garnered 1,287 votes.
Group Captain Sam Ewang of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, got 3,721 votes; All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Comrade David Ekanem polled 913 votes, Labour Party, LP, candidate, Mr. Idoreyin Umoh scored 2,745.
Similarly, African Renaissance Party, ARP, polled 411; Hope Democratic Party, HDP, 327; NNPP 249; NRP 278; NTP 754; PPA 777 and SDMP 277.
According to her, there were quite a number of challenges like ballot box snatching and flashes of violence here and there but however added that the challenges were not sufficient to invalidate the credibility of the results.
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the ACN, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe has called for total cancellation of the result, describing the entire process as a sham.
He stated this shortly after the announcement of the governorship election by the INEC, alleging that the purported result was a farce and a comical drama which had diminished both President Goodluck Jonathan and the INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega.
What happened across the state was not an election but an exact opposite of their avowed commitment to conduct free and transparent election in Nigeria.
He threatened to challenge the result in the election tribunal with the aim of getting it annulled and re-contested.
He however, called on all his supporters to remain calm and law abiding as the injustice would be corrected in a civil and democratic manner.
The Action Congress of Nigeria , ACN, is still the reigning party in Nigeria’s commercial city, Lagos state, and the party has also clinched the seat of power in Ogun state.
Governor Babatunde Fashola has been re-elected for a second term in office in Lagos after polling 1,509,113 votes in the just concluded governorship elections.
Fashola’s closest rival, Dr Ade Dosunmu of the PDP polled 300,450 votes.
The result is a clear indication of the dominance of the ACN over the PDP, despite the latter’s overwhelming presence in more states of the federation.
M.r Fashola’s re-election equals his predecessor, Mr Bola Tinubu’s record of a two-term governor of Lagos state and gives the ACN a straight 12 year streak reign in Lagos state.
In a related development, the Ogun state candidate of the ACN, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has won the governorship election by 377, 487 votes.
Meanwhile, The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has won all 3 Senatorial and all 6 House of Representatives seats & 24 out of 26 State Assembly seats in the Tuesday’s governorship and State Assembly election in Ekiti State.
The ACN candidate, Mr. Babfemi Ojudu won his closest rival, the former governor of the state, Mr Ayo Fayose who ran on the Labour Party platform and others, with 67,747 votes. Mr. Fayose polled 29,773 and the PDP candidate scored 29,488.
Mr.Ojudu led his rivals in all the five councils that make up the senatorial district.
In Ado council, Ojudu scored 23,285 votes while the Labour candidate got 16,583. The PDP candidate trailed with 5,685 votes.
In Efon, the ACN polled 4924, PDP 2846, LP 1573 votes; Ekiti west, ACN 13384, PDP 6191, LP 3348l; Irepodun ACN polled 13,370, PDP 5014, LP 6331; Ijero local government, ACN polled 12794 votes, PDP 9752 and the LP 1758.
The governor of Niger State in northern Nigeria, Dr Muazu Aliyu has also been re-elected as the governor of Niger state. Announcing the results on Thursday morning, the Niger state Returning Officer, Professor Saliu Audu mentioned that Dr Muazu Aliyu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, polled 543,203 to beat his closet rival, Alhaji Boko Shetima of the Congress of Progressive Change [CPC] who scored 244,77o to come a distant second.
The Niger State governor re-elect, Dr Muazu Aliyu also scored the twenty five percent in all the twenty five local government of the power state.
Similarly, Jonah David Jang of Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] has been declared winner of Plateau State governorship election to defeat his deputy and Labour Party, LP, candidate Dame Pauline Tallen and others in the contest.
Declaring the winner in the early hours of Thursday, vice chancellor of University of Jos and returning officer in the state, Professor Sonny Tyoden states that the PDP candidate scored the highest votes of 823,536, and obtained the required percentage as stipulated to emerge as winner of the governorship election.
Dame Pauline Tallen of Labour Party scored 494,975; Chris Giwa of Action Congress of Nigeria,ACN scored 42,897 votes while Damishi Sango of All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, polled 28,723, votes.
Also, in Sokoto state, PDP has won all the 30 state Assembly seats and the Sokoto North senatorial slots.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Husseini Mahuta stated that PDP’s Ahmed Maccido, the incumbent won the Sokoto North senatorial election by clinching 154,932 votes.
His opponents, Usman Muhammad of CPC got 42,021 votes, Ahmed Tangaza of ACN 17,959 while Hayatu Tafida of ANPP scored 471 votes.
And in Kaduna state one of the Muslim northern states where post election violence erupted following the declartion of President Goodluck Jonathan as winner, the Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the PDP Governorship Candidate of Kaduna State Patrick Yakowa winner of the Governorship Election.
INEC’s Returning Officer, Professor Abdullahi Mustapha who announced the results at said Mr. Yakowa polled a total of 1,334,319 votes to defeat his main challenger, the CPC candidate, Haruna Saheed who polled 1,133,564 votes.
The ANPP candidate Ahmed Aruwa came a distant third and secured 33,142 votes.
However, officials of the CPC who witnessed the announcement of the results refused to sign the results sheets claiming that the election was marred with irregularities, fraudulent and rigged in favour of the incumbent Governor Yakowa.
In his acceptance speech, Governor Yakowa thanked the people for voting him in and called on other candidates to work with him to help rebuild Kaduna state.
He also promised that he will run an all inclusive government.
Following the announcement of the results, there were no jubilant scenes on the streets owing to an imposed curfew in the state.
And in Bauchi, Mallam Isa Yuguda was declared winner of the Governorship Election in the state.
The Returning Officer Prof. Hamisu Mohammed declared that the PDP candidate polled 771,503 votes as against 238,426 votes of the CPC?s Yusuf Tugga while Baba Tella of ACN scored 157,228 votes and Senator Suleiman Gamawa of the ANPP had 102.093 votes.
However, officials of the CPC failed to accept the results as they said there were irregularities in Mingi and Misau local government area of the state.
There were no jubilant scenes as well in Bauchi owing to a curfew imposed in the state.
The supplementary election in Imo state will bring to a close, the April 2011 general elections in Nigeria.
