Prince Abubakar Audu’s governorship election victory in Kogi State is shortlived, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has thrown the spanner in the works of jubilations by declaring the result inconclusive.
Consequently, INEC said it will communicate soon a new date to conduct a rescheduled election in 59 polling units in 18 local governments across the state whose results were cancelled because of various electoral irregulaties.
Professor Emmanuel Kucha of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, INEC’s Returning Officer for the election, said no party could be declared winner yet since the number of cancelled votes was more than the difference between the first-placed Prince Abubakar Audu of APC and the second placed Capt. Idris Wada of PDP.
Audu polled 240,867 while Wada came second with 199,514 votes. The candidate of the Labour Party, Dr. Philip Salawu scored 8,756 to come a distant third.
Though the election was peaceful across the three senatorial zones, there were some irregularities in some polling units resulting in the cancellation of results in 59 polling units across 18 Local Government areas due to non-use of Card readers, over-voting, ballot snatching and violence, among others.
The votes cancelled by INEC and the LGAs are: Adavi 2,134; Ajaokuta, 1,406; Ankpa, 6,021; Bassa, 742; Dekina, 17,454; Ibaji, 2,665; Idah, 310; Igalamela/Odolu, 1,501; Ijumu, 705; Kabba/Bunu, 1,767; Kogi, 1,689; Lokoja, 2,854; Ofu, 4,679; Okehi, 403; Okene, 676; Olamaboro, 2,046; Omala, 2,526 and Yagba West, 375.
Kucha said, “Since the number of cancelled votes was 49,953 while the difference between the votes scored by the APC and PDP candidates stood at 41,353, the election could not yet be declared as conclusive.
“Applying provision of INEC guideline, pages 22 – 23 paragraph 4(m), the election will be re-conducted in 59 polling units across eighteen LGAs”.
The breakdown of the result declared so far shows that Audu won 16 of the 21 local governments of the state while Wada won five of the LGAs.
APC won in Yagba East, Yagba West, Kabba/Bunu, Ijumu, Lokoja, Kogi, Okehi, Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ibaji, Ankpa, Igalamela/Odolu, Ofu, Olamaboro and Idah LGAs; while PDP won Mopamuro, Dekina, Okene, Ogori/Mangogo and Omala LGAs
The result of the election shows that all the major gladiators won in their respective Local governments, with Audu winning his LG, Ofu; his Deputy, Faleke won Ijumu LG; while Governor Wada won his LG, Dekina; and his Deputy, Yomi Awoniyi won his LG, Mopamuro.
A further breakdown shows that the governor won only one local government in the Western senatorial axis, and two each from the Central and Eastern senatorial axis of the state.
