The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday started the announcement of the results of governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections held in the country on Saturday.
The results released so far revealed some surprises and upsets across the country.
For instance, the ruling All Progressives Congress in Oyo State lost the governorship poll to the Peoples Democratic Party.
The APC candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, backed by the incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi, lost scandalously to his PDP's counterpart, Seyi Makinde, with a margin of 157, 635 votes. While Makinde polled 515,621 votes, Adelabu came second with 357,982 votes.
Also, as it was during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections in Kwara State where the incumbent Senate President, Bukola Saraki, lost his bid to return to the Senate, his party lost all elective positions in the March 9 polls.
The Kwara State APC governorship candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, swept the poll to beat his PDP counterpart, Abdulrazak Atunwa, with a margin of 216,792 votes.
Also, the APC governorship candidate in Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, won a landslide victory over his closest rival, Jimi Agbaje of the PDP. Observers had expected Agbaje to give Sanwo-Olu a run for his money, but this was not to be as the political machinery of the national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu that backed the new comer was too much for Agbaje.
The PDP candidate was beaten with over 500,000 votes.
But as the people of Rivers State were waiting for the outcome of the polls, INEC announced the suspension of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state till further notice.
However, INEC had declared winners in some of the 29 states where the governorship poll was conducted on Saturday as of the time of filing this report this morning. These states include Lagos, Kwara, Gombe, Enugu, Oyo, Abia, Kebbi, Jigawa, Katsina , Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi and Niger.
Other states where the results have not been fully released include Benue, Nasarawa, Sokoto.
But the results so far declared have stirred protest as opposition parties in some states rejected the outcome citing vote-buying, supporters' harassment and alleged bias by the electoral umpire and the security agencies as reasons.
INEC declares Sanwo-Olu as new Lagos governor
Sanwo-Olu, scored 739,445 out of the 977,476 total valid votes in the election, defeated 44 other candidates to emerge as the governor-elect in the state.
APC's Abdulrazaq wins Kwara gov poll
In Kwara State, the APC governorship candidate, Abdulrazaq, has been declared winner of the governorship election.
He polled 331,546 votes to emerge as the winner of the election.
His PDP counterpart, Atunwa, polled 114,754 votes to emerge as the runner-up.
PDP's Makinde floors APC's Adelabu in Oyo
Also, the PDP's candidate in Oyo State, Makinde, was declared elected by INEC's Returning Officer, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, having polled the highest number of votes in the election.
While Makinde secured 515,621 votes, his closest contestant, Adelabu of the APC, came second with 357,982 votes. Makinde led with 157,635 votes.
APC's Dapo Abiodun wins Ogun gov
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the APC in Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has emerged winner of the 2019 governorship.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, who announced the result and declared Abiodun winner, said the APC governorship candidate polled 241,670 votes to defeat the candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Adekunle Akinlade, who scored 222,153, leaving a margin of 19,517 votes.
Ugwuanyi triumphs over Ayogu Eze, wins Enugu gov poll
In Enugu State, the incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Ugwanyi of the PDP also won his re-election bid as he beat his opponents to win the governorship poll. Ugwuanyi cleared all the 17 Local Government Areas results.
Announcing the results, the state Returning Officer, who is also the Vice-Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, said the PDP candidate polled 449,935 to defeat the APC's Ayogu Eze who polled 10,423 to come a distant second.
Bagudu wins Kebbi gov poll again
INEC has also declared Governor Atiku Bagudu of the APC winner of Saturday's governorship election in Kebbi State.
The results was announced at the state Collation Centre for the 2019 governorship election by the Collation Officer for Governorship and State Assembly Elections, Prof. Hamisu Bichi, on Sunday in Birnin Kebbi.
He said Bagudu scored 673,717 votes, while his closest rival, Isah Galaudu of the PDP, polled 106,633 votes.
INEC declares Inuwa Yahaya of APC winner
In Gombe State, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya of the APC won the state governorship election.
The INEC Returning Officer in the state, Prof. Saminu Abdulrahaman, who declared the result in Gombe on Sunday, said Yahaya scored 364,179 votes to defeat his closest rival of the PDP, Usman Nafada, who polled 222,868 votes and was returned elected.
Ikpeazu wins Abia gov election, APC, APGA rejects result
Also, the candidate of the PDP in Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, has been declared the winner of the governorship election in the state.
INEC's Returning Officer, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, declared him winner after polling 261, 127 to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the APC, Uche Ogah, who garnered 99,574 votes.
Badaru wins re-election in Jigawa
Meanwhile, the incumbent Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru, has won the governorship election in the state.
Badaru, of the APC, was returned elected with 810, 933 votes to beat his closest rival, Alhaji Aminu Ringim of the PDP, who scored 288, 356 votes, followed by Alhaji Bashir Adamu of the Social Democratic Party, who got 32,894 votes.
Emmanuel re-elected, wins in A' Ibom
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the PDP in Akwa Ibom State, Governor Udom Emmanuel, has been re-elected for a second term in office.
Emmanuel secured 519,712 votes and won in the 30 LGAs in the governorship results announced by INEC, while his closest rival and candidate of the APC, Mr Nsima Ekere, garnered 171,978 and won only in Essien Udim, which is the LGA of the former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio.
Bello floors Nasko to win re-election in Niger
Also, the Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, who contested for a second tenure on the ticket of the APC, has won the bid, according to the results of the Saturday polls announced by the Returning Officer, Prof. Angela Freeman-Mary.
He polled 526,412 votes as against Umar Nasko's 298,065 thereby defeating the PDP candidate with a margin of 228,347 votes.
Umahi floors Ogbuoji, wins Ebonyi gov poll again
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State of the PDP has been declared winner of the state governorship poll.
According to the result, Umahi polled 393,043 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sonni Ogbuoji of the APC who polled 81,703 votes to emerge the winner.
APC's Masari wins Katsina gov election
The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, has won the governorship poll in all the 34 LGAs of the state announced by INEC on Sunday.
In the results announced by the State Returning Officer, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, the APC scored 22,482 votes in Dutsi Local Government Area, while the PDP came second with 10,564 votes.
Ortom leads in Benue
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the PDP in Benue State, Mr Samuel Ortom, has won in nine of the 19 LGAs result declared as of the time of filing this report.
APC sweeps Nasarawa gov poll
In Nasarawa State, the APC candidate in the governorship election, Abdullahi Sule, has been declared winner by INEC.
The APC candidate got 327,229 votes to beat his PDP challenger, David Ombugadu, who came a distant second with 184, 281 votes.
Tambuwal leads in 12 LGAs in sokoto
INEC has announced results of 20 out of 23 LGAs of Sokoto State in Saturday's governorship election.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that LGAs Collation Officers announced the results before the state's Chief Returning Officer, Prof. Fatima Muktar, on Sunday in Sokoto.
In the results declared so far, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of the PDP won in 12 out of the 20 LGAs while the APC was leading in eight LGAs.
NAN reports that Tambuwal polled a total of 429, 526 votes while Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu of the APC scored 416, 082 votes in the declared results from the 20 LGAs received.
However, the PDP is leading the APC with a margin of 13,444 votes in the results so far declared.
The figure of cancelled votes so far is 50,530 at different polling units across the state based on the results announced.
NEC declares Bauchi gov poll inconclusive
However, the governorship election of Bauchi State has been declared inconclusive.
The Returning Officer for the state, Prof. Mohammed Kyari, said that the total registered voters were 2, 323, 603, while the accredited voters stood at 1, 056, 729.
According to him, the candidate of the PDP, Bala Mohammed, got 469, 512 votes to defeat Governor Mohammed Abubabakar of the APC, who scored 465, 453 votes.
He added that the total valid votes are 1, 026, 901, the number of rejected votes was 21, 419 while the number of total votes cast was 1, 048, 220.
Kyari of the Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State, said he declared the poll inconclusive because the margin of lead between the PDP and the APC candidates was 4, 059 votes.
He added, "Secondly, the number of cancelled votes even without that of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area which he had earlier cancelled was 45, 312.
"Thirdly, the total number of registered voters in the affected areas is 139, 240.
"Therefore, based on Section 26 Part 53 of the Electoral Act, I hereby declare this result inconclusive."
He therefore directed INEC to immediately conduct a re-run in the affected areas within 21 days.
APC leads in Borno, wins 24 declared LGAs results
The candidate of the APC, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has maintained his lead in the ongoing collation of results of Saturday's governorship election in Borno State.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the APC candidate won 24 of the 27 LGAs in the ongoing collation exercise at the Kashim Ibrahim College of Education, Maiduguri.
INEC suspends Rivers polls, PDP fumes
Meanwhile, INEC has suspended the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State till further notice.
The commission premised its action on the widespread disruption of elections and violence.
Additional info: PUNCH
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