News Desk
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Usman Ododo, winner of Kogi governorship election held on Saturday.
Ododo polled a total votes of 446,237 to defeat his closest challenger, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who scored 259,052 votes, with the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dino Melaye, emerging a distant third with 46,362 votes.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Johnson Urame, made the formal declaration on Sunday night.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier contemplated declaring the exercise inconclusive following electoral irregularities in some locations in the state, particularly Ogori Magongo local government area, where the exercise was suspended.
Following the suspension of the November 11 governorship election in some locations in Kogi State where result sheets were pre-recorded before the commencement of voting exercise, INEC had said that fresh elections might be held on Saturday, November 18, 2023, in the affected Polling Units.
INEC, however, said the contemplated fresh elections were subject to the determination of the application of the Margin of Lead Principle by the Returning Officer for the governorship election exercise.
The earlier contemplated rerun was to allow 15,136 voters to cast their votes on a new date but with the margin of lead between Ododo and other contestants surpassing 15,136, the APC candidate was consequently declared winner and governor-elect of Kogi State.
