INEC Declares APC’s Ododo winner of Kogi Governorship poll, returns him elected; SDP wants results in Kogi East cancelled

At 10:19 pm INEC declared the APC candidate Usman Ododo winner and returned him elected in the hotly-contested Kogi governorship election.

Ododo was declared winner of the election by the State Returning Officer, Prof Johnson Urama, who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

“Ahmed Usman Ododo of APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the Returning Officer announced at a crowded collation centre in Lokoja, the state capital, on Sunday night.

The APC candidate recorded 446,237 votes to defeat his closest challenger and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Murtala Ajaka, who polled 259,052 votes.

Senator Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) finished a distant third with 46,362 votes, while Leke Abejide of the African Democratic (ADC) Party finished fourth in the race, polling 21,819 votes.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Social Democratic Party in Kogi state has called on the chairman of INEC professor Mamoud Yakubu as well as appealed to pesident Bola Tinubu to cancel the Kogi election because of massive irregularities in Kogi East Senatorial zone which he said is the stronghold of its candidate Murtala Ajaka.

The total registered voters was 1,932,474 and accredited voters was 794,500.

The governor-elect is a former Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi under the incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello. The latter, whose eight-year tenure will elapse on January 14, 2024, anointed Ododo as his preferred successor and vigorously championed his campaign.

Melaye had on Saturday night called for the cancellation of the election over allegations of compromise, irregularities, violence and vote buying.

The PDP candidate raised the alarm after pre-filled result sheets in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the North Central state circulated online.

Subsequently, INEC suspended elections in the nine affected wards in the local government and announced on Sunday that a fresh exercise would be conducted in these areas on Saturday, November 18, 2023.

In a statement released on Saturday titled SUSPENSION OF ELECTION IN SOME LOCATIONS IN KOGI STATE and signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner & Member Information and Voter Education Committee, it read: ‘The Commission has received reports from our officials in Kogi State on incidences of electoral malpractices, particularly the incident of result sheets completed before voting.

“Reports indicate that the incidents occurred in Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene Local Government Areas. The most serious incidents occurred in Ogori/Magongo, affecting nine of 10 Registration Areas.

“This is entirely unacceptable. Any result not emanating from the Commission’s process in the Polling Units will not be accepted.

“The Commission is determined not to reward bad behaviour. Consequently, the election in the nine Wards in Ogori/Magongo LGA (Eni, Okibo, Okesi, Ileteju, Aiyeromi, Ugugu, Obinoyin, Obatgben and Oturu) is at this moment suspended. The incidences in the other Local Government Areas are being thoroughly investigated, and the outcome, including the way forward, will be announced in the next 24 hours.

“Meanwhile, as the processes continue, we follow the audit trail of personnel and materials to ascertain those who may have been complicit in undermining the process. We have a record of all officials deployed at various levels as supervisors, monitors, technical staff or polling unit officials and all election materials issued to them. Appropriate sanctions will be applied where necessary.

“The Commission assures voters in Kogi State that their votes are protected, and their wishes will be respected.

But the commission said, “the decision to hold fresh elections is subject to the Returning Officer’s determination of the application of the Margin of Lead Principle.”

While making his declaration on Sunday, Urama said the total number of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the affected polling units was put at 16,247, noting that the figure was insignificant to the margin of victory.

All the 18 political parties participated in the Kogi election. To ensure a secure environment for electoral conduct, the police mobilised a total of 40,000 in Kogi.