From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri, Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi, Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto,  Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki  and Joe Effiong, Uyo, Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja

The crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP), which has led to the split in loyalty between supporters of embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure and acting National Chairman, Lamido Apapa, took   a toll in Imo State as two candidates emerged at the weekend in parallel primaries to fly the party’s flag in the November 11 governorship election.

On Saturday, the primary conducted by the Abure-led faction produced Senator Athan Achonu as winner, having polled 134 votes to defeat his closest rival, Lincoln Ugunewe who got 125 votes .

In another primary, yesterday, by the Apapa-led faction,  Ikechukwu Ukaegbu emerged  winner in an affirmative election where one of the aspirants,Ihechi Ike stepped down for him.

National Vice chairman of the party, North East, Mohammed Ibrahim Alkali who represented  Apapa in yesterday’s primary, announced Ukaegbu winner and handed the party flag to him saying the election followed due process.

Also,National Youth leader of the party,Anselem Iragbe , who addressing journalists after the primary affirmed it met all legal requirements.

Iragbe said the Abure-led faction that conducted the Saturday primary erred on the side of the law and that the primary of yesterday, was “the authentic governorship primary of the party.”

He said: “An FCT High Court issued a restraining order on April 4 on Julius Aburi, the National Chairman,his Treasurer and Organising Secretary, as a result of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on forensic report that indicted them on perjury and criminal conspiracy. They were asked to stop parading themselves as officials of Labour party.This means from the 5th of April they are no longer officials of the party, so whatever took place yesterday as election does not stand according to the face of the law.”

The primary of the Aburi-led faction  on Saturday where Senator Achonu emerged winner had as returning officer, Dr.Alex Otti, Abia State Governor-elect.

Other contestants were Martins Agbaso who got 13 votes;  David Mbamara, five votes, Charles Agomuo,one vote; Kelechi Nwagwu, nine votes and Chinedu Amadi, four  votes.

.APC’s Idris wins Kebbi guber poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of All Progressives Congress(APC), Dr. Nadir Idris as governor-elect for Kebbi State after winning Saturday’s re-run election.

Returning Officer for the election, Prof.Yusuf Saidu, who declared the result said after adding results from the first election conducted on March 18 and supplementary poll of April 15, the APC candidate polled 409,225 votes to defeat his closest rival, Gen. Aminu Bande of the PDP who got 360,940 votes.

“Nasir Idris of APC having satisfied the requirements of law is hereby declare elected,” he said.

In the inconclusive  March 18 poll, Idris had scored 388,258 votes, while Bande polled 342,980 with a difference of 45, 218 between the two candidates. The Returning Officer, Prof. Yusuf Saidu from Usmanu Danfodio University had canceled results  in 142 polling units in 20 LGAs, out of the 21 Local Government Areas in the state.

Prior to the termination of election coalition,  the APC candidate had won in 18 LGAs, while the PDP candidate won in three LGAs.

In the supplementary elections conducted in 142 polling units across 20 LGAs, APC won in 15 LGAs, while PDP won in five LGAs.

Prof. Yusuf Saidu, while declaring the supplementary results, declares that the APC candidate polled 20,967 votes, while the PDP candidate got 17,960. votes

He said total valid votes in the supplementary poll stood at 39,244, rejected votes at 878, while total votes cast were 40,122.

.Tambuwal, Wamakko win Sokoto senate seat

Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal has been declared Senator-elect for Sokoto South Senatorial district.

Tambuwal, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate,  defeated the incumbent senator, Danbaba Dambuwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a total margin of 4,976 votes.

Announcing the results, yesterday, at INEC office in Bodinga LGA, the returning officer, Prof. Abubakar Bagudo said Tambuwal got 100,860 votes to defeat Danbaba who scored  95,884 votes.

In the same vein,  former Governor of Sokoto State and candidate of the APC,  Aliyu Wamakko, was declared winner of Sokoto North Senatorial District election.

Wamakko defeated his closest opponent and incumbent deputy governor of the state, Manir Muhammad Dan’Iya, of the PDP.

The returning officer,  Ibrahim Magawata, said after the supplementary election, Wamakko scored a total number of 141,468 votes,  while Dan’Iya garnered 118,445 votes.

The victory means Wamakko would return to the Red Chamber for the third consecutive term since being first elected in 2015.

Ogene wins Ogbaru Federal Constituency

Candidate of Labour Party (LP) for Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Afam Victor Ogene, has been declared winner of the Ogbaru House of Representatives seat.

He defeated the incumbent House of Representatives member for the constituency, Chukwuma Onyema of the PDP, who is a third term member of the Green Chamber.

Announcing the result at Atani, headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area , the Returning Officer, Prof. Kingsley Ubaorji of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, said  Ogene  polled 10,851 votes of the total votes cast, followed by Onyema who polled 10,619 votes, Arinze John Awogu of APGA came third with 10,155 votes.

Earlier, the PDP led with over 1,000 votes in the supplementary election, while APGA came second, followed by LP.

However, when the result was summed up with the previous February 25 election, the Labour Party Candidate came first followed by the PDP candidate, and APGA as second and third.

APGA’s Nwobashi wins Ezza North/Ishielu poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ebonyi State yesterday declared the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Joseph Nwobashi, winner of Ezza North/Ishielu Federal Constituency supplementary elections .

The supplementary elections conducted on Saturday took place in all the polling units at Oriuzor ward in Ezza North Local Government Area of the state

After the conduct of the election which was generally described as peaceful, the Retuning Officer, Prof.Augustine Igbebu, 

said the former leader of Ebonyi State House of Assembly polled a total of 11,896 votes to defeat his closest rival and PDP candidate, Mr. Emmanuel Nwite, who scored 11,150 votes.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Mrs. Nora Alo, came third with 10,85 votes.

While the Labour Party candidate, Ugonta Chinedu, scored 8,076 votes to place 4th.

.PDP loses Abak, INEC cancels Ikono/Ini poll

Former commissioner for Information in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Aniekan Umanah of the PDP, has lost his bid to return  the House of Representatives to represent Abak federal constituency for the second term.

This follows his defeat by the All Progressives Congress  (APC) candidate, Mr Clement Jumbo who polled a total  22, 225 as against Umanah’s 20, 793 votes  at the end of the supplementary election conducted yesterday in the constituency.

INEC had declared the February 25 national assembly election in that constituency inconclusive, even as the APC candidate was ahead with 2,962 votes.

While the supplementary election of Abak federal constituency ended peacefully,  that of Ikono/Ini federal constituency which also held the same day was however cancelled by INEC  due to widespread violence..

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom, Dr Cyril Omorogbe, who disclosed this to newsmen in his office  described the re-run in the area as abysmal.

Omorogbe said the election were cancelled in all the 17 polling units that the rerun took place as a result of snatching of electoral materials, including Bi-Modal Voters Accreditation Machine System (BIVAS)

He expressed regret that the violence led to the shooting of one of the corps members on duty on his leg, and  wondered why politicians would be so desperate in a federal constituency election to the extent of shooting an innocent corps member.

“The corps member was shot, he is still in the hospital. We’ve done our best in terms of providing money to make sure he is treated well. I strongly believe he will be okay. He was shot on the leg, he has gone through surgery.  So far,  I do believe he is actually recuperating at this point,” he said.

Melaye wins Kogi PDP gubar primary

Former senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye,l has won the ticket for the state governorship election scheduled for November 11, 2023.

Dino polled 313 votes to defeat his closest rival, Jabiru Usman, who polled 127 votes.

Chairman, PDP primary election committee and former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, announced the results, yesterday, at the end of the indirect primary held at Confluence Stadium in Lokoja.

Former deputy governor, Yomi Awoniyi, scored 77 votes and the PDP governorship candidate in 2019, Musa Wada, had 56 votes.