In a closely watched and keenly contested race, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Usman Ododo, has been declared the winner of the November 11, 2023, Kogi State Governorship Election, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The State Returning Officer, Prof Johnson Urama, declared Ododo as the winner at 10:23 pm on Sunday, announcing that he had satisfied the legal requirements for victory.
“Ahmed Usman Ododo of APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Urama declared.
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Ododo secured a decisive win with 446,237 votes, defeating his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who scored 259,052 votes. Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 46,362 votes. The APC candidate dominated the election by winning over half of the 21 local government areas (LGAs) in the state.
The victory solidifies Ododo’s position as the governor-elect and comes after results from the 21 LGAs were collated late on Sunday. Ododo, a former Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi under Governor Yahaya Bello, was the anointed candidate of the outgoing governor, who is completing his double terms of eight years.
However, the election was not without controversy. Melaye and some civil rights groups raised concerns over “filled result sheets” in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area. Melaye also called for the suspension of the exercise citing violence and vote-buying. In response, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suspended the election in nine wards in the local government area.
Late on Sunday, INEC announced that fresh polls would be conducted in 59 polling units in Ogori/Magongo on November 18, 2023. INEC specified that the decision to hold fresh elections is contingent on the Returning Officer’s determination of the application of the Margin of Lead Principle.
In his declaration, Prof Johnson Urama noted that the total number of Permanent Voter Cards in the affected polling units was insignificant in comparison to the substantial lead Ododo had over his closest rival. This suggested that the initially scheduled elections in the 59 polling units would no longer be held.
Despite the outcome, both Ajaka and Melaye have rejected the results, expressing disappointment in INEC and accusing security agencies of collusion with the ruling APC in Kogi.
The final results for the 21 LGAs showed a total of 1,932,474 registered voters, 794,500 accredited voters, and a total valid vote count of 782,289. The rejected votes amounted to 9,601, making the total votes cast 791,890.
However, Ajaka had said earlier it would be a waste of time to challenge the outcome of the poll in court if he loses to Usman Ododo. He alleged that the election was rigged with the support of the INEC.