5 States to hold re-run elections

Sequel to the inconclusive governorship elections held in Kano, Benue, Sokoto, Plateau and Bauchi states on March 9, 2019, the rerun election to determine the winners in the respective states holds today (Saturday).

The rerun will hold in 618 polling units scattered across 96 local government areas in the five states, where a total of 396,613 registered voters are expected to participate in the exercise.

INEC had declared the March 9 governorship elections inconclusive in the five states and Adamawa.

However, a court order on Thursday stopped the conduct of the poll in Adamawa State, pending the determination of a suit filed by INEC to determine the authority of a state High Court over federal establishments like the commission.

In Kano State, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Garba Mohammed, told Saturday PUNCH that a total of 128,324 voters, spread across 202 polling units or 285 voting points in 29 out of the 44 local government areas of the state, were expected to decide the next governor of the state during the election.

Figures released by INEC showed that there were 5,426,989 registered voters in the state but only 2,211,528 were accredited for the March 9 governorship election.

From the result released by INEC at the collation centre, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress and incumbent governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje, polled 987,819 votes, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Abba Kabir-Yusuf, polled 1,014,474 votes. The margin between the parties stood at 26,655 votes, in favour of the PDP.

In Plateau State, INEC is holding the supplementary election in 46 polling units across nine local government areas of the state.

In the March 9 election, the incumbent governor and candidate of the APC in the election, Simon Lalong, scored 583,255 votes while PDP’s Jeremiah Useni polled 538,326 votes.

According to INEC, the nine local government areas where the rerun would hold are Barki Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos, Jos North, Kanam, Langtang South, Mangu, Pankshin and Shendam.

INEC’s Head of Voter Education in the state, Mr Osaretin Imahiyereobo, said a total of 48,828 registered voters were expected to participate in the election.

Imahiyereobo said, “This is a policy adopted by the commission to achieve a maximum degree of neutrality and transparency in the electoral process. As a commission, we have put everything in place to ensure a hitch-free election.”

In Benue State, a total of 121,299 registered voters are expected to vote in 204 polling units across 22 local government areas.

INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr Nentawe Goshw, said, “Out of 121,299 registered voters, only 109,733 have collected their PVC which means only 109,733 are eligible to vote on the election day. I will not have more than 109,733 ballot papers on election date. That is the implication.”

The Benue State INEC Collation Officer, Prof Sabastine Maimaiko, had declared the March 9 governorship election inconclusive, saying the PDP candidate, Mr. Samuel Ortom, who is the incumbent governor, polled 410,570 votes while the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Emmanuel Jime, scored 329,022 votes. Thus, the PDP candidate is leading the APC candidate with 81,554 votes.

In Bauchi State, the governorship rerun would hold in 36 polling units scattered across 15 of the 20 local government areas of the state.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said a total of 22,759 registered voters were expected to participate in the exercise.

The PDP governorship candidate, Bala Mohammed, had polled 469,512 votes to lead his closest rival, incumbent Governor Mohammed Abubabakar of the APC, who scored 465,453 votes in the March 9 election.

In Sokoto State, 75,403 voters are expected to vote during the governorship rerun holding in 136 polling units across 22 local government areas of the state.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of the PDP, who scored 489,558 votes is leading APC’s Ahmed Aliyu, who scored 486,145 votes. The margin stood at 3,413 votes.

Out of the 1,033,081 accredited voters in the state in the March 9 election, there were 987,942 valid votes while 30,082 votes were rejected from the total of 1,018,024 votes cast.

In Adamawa State, a total of 40,998 voters are expected to determine who eventually becomes the next governor of the state.

According to INEC, the rerun would hold in 44 polling units spread across 14 local government areas of the state.

During the March 9 governorship poll, the PDP governorship candidate, Hamadu Fintiri, led with 32,476 votes after scoring 367,471 votes against the APC candidate and incumbent governor, Jubrilla Bindow, who got 334,995 votes.

Meanwhile, alongside the rerun governorship election, there will also be rerun elections for some seats in the House of Assembly in Lagos, Kogi, Imo, Benue, Sokoto, Ebonyi and Plateau states on Saturday (today).

Source: Punch