Almost a year after the general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission is conducting polls across Nigeria. These elections are a result of court-ordered re-runs emanating from 30 petitions from different contestants in the February and March 2019 general polls.
Hitherto, the Ajaokuta Federal Constituency election and the supplementary rerun election for the Kogi West Senatorial District have held, leaving 28 reruns which were conducted by INEC on January 25, 2020.
The Re-Runs
Saturday’s 25th reruns took place in 28 Constituencies across 11 states. Six of the elections involved the entire constituencies while 22 were held in some polling units.
The polls involved one Senatorial District out of 109 districts, 12 Federal Constituencies out of 360 Constituencies and 15 State Assembly Constituencies out of 991.
While more than 30 parties were represented in the ballots, the winner’s board was dominated by the two largest parties, All Progressive Congress APC and People’s Democratic Party PDP.
Below are winners and losers from the re-runs results so far
Kaduna State
APC’s Nuhu Goro Shadalafiya, a former Deputy Speaker in Kaduna state was declared the winner of the Kagarko state constituency rerun election ending PDPs Morondia Tanko’s bid to retain his seat at the Kaduna state House of Assembly.
According to the INEC Returning Officer in the constituency, Dr. Haruna Aminu, Shadalafiya polled 24,658 votes while Tanko got 20,206 votes.
Meanwhile, PDP’s Comfort Amwe polled 19,815 votes in Sanga LGA, to defeat Haliru Gambols Dangana of the APC who scored 19,688 votes in the rerun election held in Sanga constituency of the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
The rerun election was conducted in 14 polling units in the local government.
Ogun State
INEC declared Kolapo Osunsanya of the APC winner of the election for Ijebu-Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North-East Federal Constituency in Ogun.
INEC Returning Officer, Charles Onwuka announced that the APC candidate polled a total vote of 25,959 to defeat his closest rival, Taiwo Shote, of the PDP, who scored 21911 votes.
Bauchi State
Madaki Gololo of the PDP has emerged winner of Saturday’s rerun elections for Gamawa Federal Constituency in Bauchi State having polled 21,223 votes to defeat his rival, Isa Wabu of the New Nigeria People’s Party who secured 15,004 votes.
In Zaki Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, PDP’s Auwal Jatau was declared winner having scored 15,405 votes.
Cross River
The Cross River State reruns saw the APC and PDP split gains even as violence marred the peaceful conduct of elections in one ward.
INEC declared APCs’ Alex Egbonna winner of the House of Representatives election for Yakurr/Abi Federal Constituency having polled 29,716 votes to defeat his closest opponent, John Lebo of the PDP, who secured 26,039 votes.
Also, the commission declared PDP’s Davies Etta winner of Abi constituency seat in the State House of Assembly after garnering 13,349 votes to defeat his closest rival, Eyeing Iwqara of the APC who had 8, 792 votes.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner Alalibo Johnson announced the cancellation of election in Afafanyi/Igonigoni Ward, consisting of eight polling units with a total of 5,616 registered voters, due to violence.
The violence in Afafanyi/Igonigoni including the kidnap of a senior INEC official who was later released, but election materials carted away was not recovered.
Akwa Ibom State
It was all celebrations for the PDP as their candidates won in all the rerun elections for the Senate, state and federal constituencies in the state.
Senator Christopher Ekpenyong who once again defeated Senator Godswill Akpabio of the APC in the re-run election for Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial district held in Essien Udim local government Council.
Senator Ekpenyong of the PDP polled a total of 134, 717 votes, while Akpabio scored a total of 83, 820 votes. Senator Akpabio who is currently the minister of Niger Delta Affairs managed to defeat Ekpenyong only in his ward, Ukana West ward2.
This result may not have come as a surprise as Akpabio had earlier announced his withdrawal from the election but INEC rejected it saying he remained the candidate of the APC. For the House of Representatives seat, Nsikak Ekong of the PDP won with a total of 45, 366 votes defeating Emman Akpan of APC who scored a total of 22,759.
Similarly for the State Assembly Re-run poll, Esse Umoh of the PDP won with a total of 18, 999 polls defeating Nse Ntuen of the APC who scored 7,108. Considering how contentious the Akwa Ibom polls have been reports of violence and election banditry in Essien Udim LGA comes as no surprise.
Reports say officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the state being held hostage inside a public secondary school in Essien Udim, Akwa Ibom. The Akwa Ibom State Police Command also confirmed the arrest of some persons in connection with electoral violence.
Imo State
The emergence of APC’s Hope Uzodinma as Imo State governor following the recent Supreme Court ruling which sacked PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha may have influenced the voting habit of electorates in the Onuimo/ Okigwe / Isiala Mbano Federal Constituency rerun as Marian Odinaka Onuoha has been declared the winner of the polls defeating other 27 candidates.
According to the Returning Officer, Onuoha scored 23,690 votes to defeat Obinna Kingsley Onwubuariri of the PDP in the second position, who polled 10,010 votes. Meanwhile, Uju Jovita Onwudiwe of the Action Alliance (AA) has been declared the winner of the Njaba State Constituency supplementary election in Imo State scoring 6,142 votes defeating Charles Abia of the PDP came second with 5,487 votes.
The result from Orlu/Orsu/Oru East Federal Constituency is being awaited as the collation process was halted after some youths, suspected to be political thugs, invaded the collation center and tore the result sheets during the supplementary election serious panic.
Sokoto State
In Sokoto, it was an all PDP affair as Abubakar Abdullahi and Sa’idu Bargaja have been declared the winners of the re-run elections for Sokoto North/Sokoto South and Isa/Sabon-Birni Federal Constituencies of Sokoto State.
Abdullahi scored 68,985 votes to win while Bargaja defeated his closest opponent of the APC with 44,490.
Kano State
In Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency in Kano state, Ali Datti Yako was declared the winner of the poll after he defeated former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa of the APC.
Yako scored 48,601 votes to defeat Kofa who pulled 13,507 votes.
Results for Doguwa/Tudun Wada, Kumbotso federal constituencies and other state constituencies would be announced later, as results of the elections started coming in late Saturday night.
Abia State
Mike Ukaoha of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has been declared the winner of the Arochukwu state constituency election.
The Returning officer Prof. Austin Uwakwe announced that the APGA candidate polled 6550 votes to defeat the PDP candidate Clinton Ebere who polled 5129 votes.
As the remaining results are being collated, there are not many surprises expected. However, in Nigerian politics, anything is possible
