The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress , Usman Ododo, has emerged winner of the just concluded November 11 governorship election in Kogi State.
Ododo won with 446,237 votes, defeating his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party, who garnered 259,052, while Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party pulled 46,362 votes.
This is despite INEC announcing that fresh polls will be conducted on November 18, 2023.
Johnson Urama, the Returning Officer for the State election disclosed this on Sunday evening.
“Ahmed Ododo of APC, having certified by the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” said Urama.
Following the suspension of the November 11 governorship election in some polling units in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the 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 of nine wards in Ogori Magongo LGA of the State.
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This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday evening by INEC National Commissioner and member, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.
The electoral umpire, 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.
Ododo, a former auditor general of local government in Kogi under Governor Yahaya Bello, was anointed by the Governor who is finishing his two-term of eight years.
