Nigeria (Blank NEWS Online) –
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Mr Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of Kogi governorship election.
The Returning Officer of the governorship election, Prof. Emmanuel Kucha declared the results early on Sunday morning in Lokoja after the conclusion of the supplementary election held in 91 polling units across 18 local government areas.
“That Yahaya Bello of the APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the majority is hereby declared winner,” Mr. Kucha said.
APC’s Bello polled 247,762 votes to defeat the incumbent Governor and Peoples Democratic Party, Idris Wada, who polled 204,877 votes.
He became APC’s candidate after the death of Abubakar Audu on November 22.
Kucha, while declaring the results, said the results were a merger of the election held on Nov. 21 and the supplementary poll conducted in 91 polling units on Dec. 5.
“The results of the supplementary election shows that the APC scored 6,885 votes, while PDP got 5,363 votes.
“Only 13,000 out of the 49,000 registered voters expected to vote in the supplementary election turned out for accreditation and voting,” he said.
Kucha said out of the 494,723 votes cast during the exercise, only 21,740 were invalidated.
PDP Rejects Kogi Supplementary Polls .
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the results of the Kogi governorship supplementary election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking through its agent, Captain Joe Agada at the headquarters of the INEC in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital, the party condemned the exercise, describing it as a ‘kangaroo election’. Agada refused to sign the final result sheet of the election.
Agada spoke to Naij.com outside the collation hall at the INEC office after he challenged officials of the electoral body to give him a signed copy of the results sheet of the supplementary polls.
He said: “This election is a kangaroo exercise. How can INEC add the vote of the late Abubakar Audu to a certain Yahaya Bello who just few days ago, was chosen to be the APC candidate.
“We believe that the tribunal will reverse this because it is not known in law for someone to benefit from an election he didn’t not contest in.”
Agada also made reference to the withdrawal of the deputy governorship candidate of the APC, James Faleke, in the race.
He said: “It is unheard of for a candidate to contest in an election without a deputy governorship candidate. It is illegal. Faleke had gone public to say he won’t be participating in the supplementary election, only for Yahaya Bello to contest the election without a running mate.”
Agada also chided INEC for not releasing the result sheet of the supplementary election to him, adding that the electoral body’s stand that the election was the same with the inconclusive polls two weeks ago was unacceptable.
“Let it be on record that we asked for the results sheets of this election and we were denied it by INEC officials,” he concluded.
Alhaji Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress was declared the winner of the Kogi state supplementary election held on December 5.
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