INEC announces APC’s Bassey Otu Cross River governor-elect; Zamfara Governor Matawalle loses seat to PDP’s Dauda Lawal
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Cross River State has declared Senator Prince Bassey Otu, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as governor-elect of Cross River State in the March 18th 2023 election.
INEC’s State Returning officer Prof. Teddy Charles Adias made the declaration at Mike Igini hall in Calabar, where he said Senator Otu pulled a total of 258,619 votes to beat his closest rival and PDP’s governorship candidate Senator (Prof.) Sandy Onor with 78,983 votes.
Prince Otu won in fifteen (15) Local government Areas to be declared elected while Senator Onor clinched three (3) Local Government Areas.
With this development, the Back-To-South political agenda for power to return to the Southern Senatorial district has been accomplished.
Meanwhile, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state has lost his re-election bid, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Dauda Lawal as the winner of the March 18 governorship election.
Lawal won the election with a total of 377,726 votes, defeating Matawalle the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 311,976.
Prof. Kassimu Shehu, the INEC Returning Officer, said, “I Prof. Kassimu Shehu of the Federal University Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, certify that I am INEC Returning Officer for Zamfara State.
“That Dr. Lawal Dauda of the PDP, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is declared winner and returned elected.”
Governor Ben Ayade has fired two Special Advisers after the Gubernatorial election in a statement made public on Monday March 20, 2023 by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Christian Ita, Esq.
The two sacked Special Aides are Ayade’s Special Adviser on politics in the office of the Chief of Staff, Mr. Peter Okaba and Mr. Tony Adah who was Special Adviser to the governor on project monitoring.
Adah is to be replaced by Mr. Godwin Orim while the Adviser on politics it to be replaced by Romanus Abua with immediate effect.
Mr. Ita explained that the governor was the employer of the two Special Advisers and has the power to hire and fire any one of them if the need arises.
By: Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)