The controversial state of Adamawa appears to be going the way of incumbent Governor, Mr. Umaru Fintiri, dashing the hopes of the womenfolk who thought they were about to have the first female elected Governor In Senator Aisha Dahiru Binani.
The result of Fufore Local Government Area, which was at the height of disputation between Sunday night and Monday morning, was announced on Monday evening. Binani won the area, but her victory could not close the gap between her and the Governor.
What was being expected at press time was a formal declaration of the Governor as winner.
A tally of votes from results already announced shows Governor Fintiri got a little over 421,000 votes, while Binani polled 390,000.
Like it happened in the presidential election, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State has lost grounds. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday declared the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18 gubernatorial election, Mr. Caleb Mutfwang, as the winner the election.
According to the INEC Returning Officer, Musa Yusuf, said that Mutfwang secured the highest number of votes polling 525,299 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nantawe Yilwatda of the APC, who got 481,370 votes. The Labour Party’s Dr. Patrick Dakum of the Labour Party came third with 60,310 votes.
Recall that Labour Party’s Peter Obi swept the polls in the presidential election held three weeks earlier, while the PDP won two of the three senatorial seats and a majority of the House of Representatives seats.
In Kaduna, the electoral umpire announced the postponement of further collation of governorship election results following an invasion of the Kudan Local Government Area and the destruction of election materials by suspected political thugs.
Before the suspension INEC had already collated results in 22 of the 23 Locl Government Areas of the state.
INEC’s Administrative Secretary of INEC in Kaduna State, Mr Awal Mahammad Mashi, announced that “everything to do with the election was destroyed.
“We have all the results in our server, we will download them in the presence of everybody.
“INEC has always been transparent, we are going to download everything, we are going to give the same results that was torn.”
As projected by political pundits, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Benue state Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has been declared the winner of the Benue State gubernatorial polls.
He polled 473,933 to defeat his closet rival Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 223 913 votes.
But in the two South-Eastern States of Abia and Enugu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the collation of results in parts of Abia and Enugu states following its review of the Governorship election held Saturday.
The suspension affected Obingwa Local Government Area in Abia state and, Nsukka and Nkanu East local government areas of Enugu State.
According to Barr. Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC said in a statement: “The Commission met today, Monday 20th March 2023 and reviewed the conduct of the Governorship and State Assembly elections held nationwide on Saturday 18th March 2023. Arising from the meeting, the Commission took the decision to suspend forthwith further collation of the Governorship election results in some parts of Abia and Enugu States.
“It will be recalled that our office in Obingwa Local Government Area was invaded by thugs yesterday Sunday 19th March 2023 and our officials held hostage in relation to the collation of results from the Local Government Area. Similarly, reports from Enugu State call for a review of the results for the Governorship election from the two outstanding Local Government Areas of Nsukka and Nkanu East.
“Consequently, the Commission hereby suspends the collation of results in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State and the two outstanding Local Government Areas of Enugu State which are yet to be collated. A review will be undertaken immediately before the process is concluded.
“We appeal for the understanding and patience of voters, parties and candidates in the affected States.”
INEC also postponed the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections for Kwande local government area of Benue state to Tuesday, 21 March 2023.
Okoye said the development followed the mix up of ballot papers for the earlier schedule date of 18 March 2023.
His words in a statement “The public may recall that the Governorship and State Assembly elections in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State scheduled for Saturday 18th March 2023 had to be suspended.
“This decision followed an inadvertent mix up of some of the sensitive materials for the two State Assembly constituencies in the area i.e. Kwande East and Kwande West. For this reason, voters and stakeholders agreed that the elections should be rescheduled. Consequently, the Commission issued a statement that a new date will be announced for the elections.
“After further consultation with stakeholders, our Resident Electoral Commissioner in Benue State, Professor Sam Egwu, has advised that the State office is ready to proceed with the rescheduled elections.
“Accordingly, the Commission approved that the elections shall hold tomorrow Tuesday 21st March 2023.
“The Commission appeals to voters in Kwande Local Government Area to troop out en masse and vote for the candidate of their choice. Similarly, we call on parties and candidates to conduct themselves peacefully.”
In another development, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is lamenting its loss of the governorship election in Bauchi State, calling on INEC to consider a review of the election in the state.
Recall that incumbent governor, Bala Kaura Mohammed, was named the winner of the keenly contested election. He beat APC’s candidate and former Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar.
APC said in a statement that “with indisputable cases of over-voting, massive electoral fraud, thuggery, harassment, intimidation, and widespread despicable violence that marred” the election, it wanted INEC “to expeditiously investigate reports that its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was compromised in many voting units and cancel invented results of affected polling units in the state.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Felix Morka said that in specific terms, Alkaleri, Kirfi, Toro, Warji, Ningi and Zaki Local Government Areas of Bauchi State there was widespread violence, overvoting and massive rigging against its candidate, noting that “it is perplexing that inexplicable massive figures were invented in polling units in which voting didn’t take place, and in which results were never collated.”
The statement adds, “Extensive cancellations of polling units results in APC Candidate’s strongholds were made without valid justification, except to depress his vote count and give undue advantage to the PDP candidate, the incumbent Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed.
“Specifically in Alkaleri LGA, APC polling units’ Agents were chased away by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs who took control of affected polling units and thumb-printed ballot papers without BVAS accreditation, and results were gratuitously awarded and written up without voting, as mandated by law. The bogus “result” in the same Alkaleri LGA with recorded and verifiable over-voting, and in which INEC’s returning officer was molested and threatened at gun point to sign the “result” sheet was irregularly collated and used in the declaration of final result of the election in the state.
“In one of the many brazen cases recorded by polling unit agents, a reportedly serving PDP Commissioner in the state was captured buying votes in open and full glare of cameras, citizens, and assisted by security officials that bore a constitutional duty to arrest and take the criminal into custody for further investigation and prosecution.
“The APC rejects the invented election figures and INEC’s declaration of the Governor-elect in Bauchi State, and calls on INEC to cancel the election in the afore-mentioned LGAs that were characterized by over-voting, destruction of electoral materials, harassment, intimidation, and widespread violence and other irregularities in line with its power to review declaration of result within 7 days under Section 65 of the Electoral Act.”