Gov Yahaya Bello

Ayodele Oluokun and Richard Elesho/ Lokoja

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC Governor Yahaya Bello has been declared winner of the Nov. 16th Governorship election in Kogi State. He polled 406,222  to defeat his closest Challenger and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP Engr. Musa Wada who polled 187,704. Mrs. Natasha Akpoti of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, came third in the exercise with 9,482.

A total 149,576 votes were counciled. Prof.Ibrahim Garuba the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Returning Officer made the declaration this morning in Lokoja. By this feat, the governor has asserted his strong hold on Kogi politics.

INEC had yesterday evening suspended further collation of results till today. Nineteen Local Governments had been collated yesterday while results for Ibaji and Lokoja were being awaited. When collation resumed this morning at about 9.30, the Returning Officer for Dekina made clarrifications on why votes were cancelled in certain poling units in the Local Government.

After the clarifications, Garbadeen Olugbenga the Returning Officer for Ibaji gave result of the LG. According to him the APC won in the Local Governments having polled 12,682 votes while the PDP polled 10,594 votes. Total Registered Voters is 66,675 but only 25,598 of them were accredited. Total Votes cast in the area is 25,258.

In Lokoja, the Returning Officer said there are 137,301 Registered Voters, but only 34,897 were accredited. APC scored 19,451 votes while PDP garnered 11,059 votes.
During the collation, INEC announced cancellation of votes in many Polling Units and many Local Governments across the state. Ballot box snatching, violence, over voting and fighting were among reasons proferred for the councilation. In Kogi, 25 Political Parties participated in the election.

Meanwhile the PDP and Wada, at a media briefing yesterday, rejected the result describing it as a ruse that will be challenged at the tribunal. The party alleged widespread violations of the Electoral Act. Also, the party through its agent, Capt. Joe Agada refused to sign the final copy of the result as a protest against it’s outcome.