History is set to be made in Nigeria’s political space as a woman may emerge as the first female to be elected governor in the country in Saturday’s governorship poll in Adamawa State.
With most of the results collated in the state, Senator Aishatu Dahiru (Binani), who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, is giving the incumbent governor and PDP candidate, Ahmadu Fintri, a tough battle for the state’s top job.
According to the results so far declared, Governor Fintiri was ahead in 13 local government areas, while Binani followed with 7. So far, Fintiri won in Guyuk, Jada, Gombi Shelleng Demsa, Lamurde Girei Hong, Madagali, Numan Toungo, Song and Michika local government areas of the state, while Senator Binani won in Ganye, Mubi-North, Mayo-Belwa, Maiha, Mubi-South, Yola-North and Yola-South councils respectively.
The result of Fufore local government area was being awaited at the time of this report.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Yunusa Hudu, said what needs to be done on Fofure results needs time and therefore suspended the collation.
Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed was born 11 August 1971. Also known as Binani, she represented Adamawa Central senatorial district in the 9th Assembly. She was formerly a member of the House of Representatives for Yola North/Yola South/Girei federal constituency as a member of the People’s Democratic Party in the 7th Assembly (2011–2015).
She is currently the chairman of the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In 2021 an appeal court sitting in Yola declared Aishatu Binani as the APC governorship candidate in Adamawa. She had defeated several influential male politicians, including former presidential candidate Nuhu Ribadu during the party’s governorship primaries.
She started her early school education at Kaduna and completed it at Gwadabawa Primary School, Jimeta Yola. She went to the UK for her university education where she obtained a Higher National Diploma in Electrical Engineering at the University of Southampton.
INEC Declares Sanwo-Olu Winner In Lagos
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo -Olu has been declared winner of the governorship election held in the state on March 18th, 2023.
INEC’s returning officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, the Vice Chancellor Federal University of Technology, Akure, declared Sanwo-Olu winner of the election having polled 762,134 votes to defeat Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party(LP) candidate who garnered 312,329 votes to claim second position while the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Olajide Adediran trailed behind the two of them with 62,449 votes.
Governor Sanwo-Olu won in 19 out of the 20 local government areas of the state.
The governor won landslide in the 19 local government areas out the result of the 20 local government, while the Labour Party candidate Gbadebo Rhodes- Vivour won in Amuwo Odofin, one local government area.The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Olajide Adediran came third in most of the result announced.
The results so far collated across the country in the governorship and State Assembly elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday the show that a number of incumbent governors have retained their seats.
Yobe: Mai Mala Buni Wins It
In Yobe State, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the incumbent governor in the state, Mai Mala Buni, has won the governorship election with 317, 113 votes to defeat his closest contender from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sheriff Abdullahi, who scored 104, 259 votes while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Alhaji Garba Umar, came third with 14, 246 votes.
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, who is also the returning officer for the governorship election in Yobe State, Prof. Umaru Pate, said in Yobe, eleven political parties contested in the governorship elections while 185 contested for the 24 seats of the state house of assembly.
Kwara: APC’s AbdulRahzaq Victorious
INEC has declared the Kwara State governor and APC gubernatorial candidate, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the winner of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
Announcing the results at the INEC office in Ilorin, the state capital, the returning officer, Prof Isaac Itodo, vice chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Makurdi, said AbdulRazaq scored 273, 424 to win the election.
He said the runner up in the election, Alhaji Abdullahi Yaman of the PDP trailed AbdulRazaq with 155,490 votes.
The Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) candidate, Alh Hakeem Lawal, emerged distant third with 18,922 votes.
LEADERSHIP reports that AbdulRazaq won majority votes in all the 16 local government areas of the state.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the announcement of the governorship election results, the state chairman of APC, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, thanked Kwarans for their confidence in Governor AbdulRazaq’s leadership.
Gombe: Inuwa Yahaya Is Re-elected
Gombe State governor and candidate of the APC, Inuwa Yahaya, has emerged victorious having won a majority of the votes cast across the 11 local government areas of the state.
Declaring the winner yesterday, the State Returning Officer and vice chancellor of Federal University, Gashua, Professor Maimuna Waziri, said Inuwa scored a total of 342, 821 votes to beat his closest opponent of the PDP who scored a total of 233, 131 votes.
Oyo: Makinde Win Second Term
Oyo State governor and PDP candidate, Seyi Makinde, has been declared the winner of the 2023 governorship election held in the state.
INEC’s returning officer, Professor Adedayo Bamire of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, declared Makinde winner of the election, having polled 563, 756 votes to defeat Senator Teslim Folarin of the APC who garnered 256, 685 votes, while the Accord Party candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, trailed behind the two with 38, 357 votes.
According to the results as announced by the INEC, the ruling PDP won in 32 local government areas with over 558, 000 votes while APC won in only one.
Ogun: Dapo Abiodun Defeats Adebutu
INEC has declared Governor Dapo Abiodun of the APC as the winner of the Ogun governorship election conducted in the state on Saturday.
The State Returning Officer, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, made the announcement at the state collation centre of INEC in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Adebowale, who was flanked by the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Niyi Ijalaye, declared Abiodun the winner of the election after the collation of results from all the 20 Local government areas of the state.
Abiodun was declared the winner after winning 12 Local government areas, while his closest rival, Ladi Adebutu of the PDP) won in eight local government areas.
In the results of the governorship election announced by INEC’s Returning Officer (R.O), Prof. Kayode Adebowale, Abiodun won with 276, 295 votes to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the PDP , Adebutu Oladipupo Olatunde, who scored a total votes of 247, 060 out of the entire 645, 133 total votes cast.
The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Barr. Biyi Otegbeye came a distant third with a total of 94,754 votes
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the PDP, Hon. Adebut, has rejected the overall results of the exercise and their cancellation. He said results in 54 Polling Units spread across Remo North, Sagamu, Ifo, Local Governments Areas of the state were cancelled by INEC during the election, describing it as “disenfranchising of electorate” in his own strongholds.
The former federal lawmaker, who spoke through the state agent, Mr Oyejide Sunkanmi, called on the commission to investigate the cancellations and direct a rerun in the affected areas.
According to him, if the total number of cancelled votes is far higher than the margin of lead or winning between the winner and the first runner up, a rerun becomes advisable in the affected places.
But in his response, INEC’s Returning Officer for Ogun State governorship poll, Adebowale said he had examined the records of the Returning Officers (ROs) in the affected areas and found the PDP’s complaints at variance with that of the ROs.
“What was said are at variance with our records, however if they are found to be correct later, INEC has up to seven days to order a rerun,” he said.
Akwa Ibom: Umo Eno dedicates victory to God
Winner of the Akwa Ibom State governorship election on the platform of the PDP, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, has dedicated his victory to God, the Christian community and the people of the state, vowing to sustain the prevailing peace and development laid down by the outgoing governor, Udom Emmanuel.
Eno, who was declared winner of the crucial contest by the state Returning Officer (RO), Prof. Emmanuel Adigio, who doubles as the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Nigerian Maritime University (NMU), Okerenkoko in Delta state, stormed the Government House, Uyo, the state capital, with hordes of supporters, elders and stakeholders of the PDP, to dine and wine with the governor few hours after his official declaration.
He said: “I stand here, humbled yet energized by the massive support and overwhelming vote of confidence in my capacity to be your servant-leader in the next four years that you showed me at the polls. It was peaceful, credible, fair and a ringing expression of the will of our people.”
“I dedicate this victory to God, for the Grace He has shown me, for the strength to carry on, in the face of several challenges and for the inner peace to keep moving with my eyes clearly set on the ball and not to be distracted.”
Sokoto: APC’s Ahmed Sokoto Is Governor-elect
APC governorship candidate in Saturday’s election, Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, has been declared the governor-elect for Sokoto state.
Declaring Ahmed Aliyu as the duly elected at the INEC collation centre, last night, the Returning Officer, Professor Armayau Hamisu, from Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina state, announced that the former deputy governor polled 453,661 votes.
Ahmed Aliyu was the deputy governor to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from 2015 to 2018 until when he resigned from office and refused to defect with Tambuwal to the PDP.
His closest challenger, Malam Sa’idu Umar, of PDP scored 404,632 votes to finish in second place.
According to the declared results, Ahmed Sokoto won in eighteen out of the twenty three local governments in the state.
Sokoto recorded wins in Binji, Wurno, Yabo, Gwadabawa, Rabah, Bodinga, Tangaza, Kware, Dange-Shuni, Sabon Birnin, Shagari, Illela, Gudu, Gada, Kebbe, Sokoto South, Wamakko and Sokoto North local governments.
PDP candidate, Malam Sa’idu Umar, recorded victory at Isa, Silame, Tureta, Goronyo and Tambuwal local government areas.
The Returning Officer also announced that Sokoto State has 2,172,056 registered voters with 901,513 accredited for the election.
Katsina: APC’s Radda Takes Katsina
The governorship candidate of the APC, Dr Dikko Umar Radda, has been declared winner of the governorship contest in Katsina State.
He polled 859, 892 to defeat his closest rival from the PDP, Sen Yakubu Lado, who scored 486,620 from the total votes cast of 1,386, 427.The returning officer, Professor Muazu Abubakar Gusau, declared Radda winner, saying he had certified all electoral requirements by law.
LEADERSHIP observed that the APC candidate won 33 out of the 34 local government councils of the state, while the PDP won only Kankara local government with 27,984 votes and APC, 21,652 votes.
Niger State: Bago In The Lead
The APC governorship candidate Umar Mohammed Bago was cruising home to victory in the results of Saturday’s election released so far. He was leading in nine of the 11 local government areas whose results had been released before the collation was adjourned.
LEADERSHIP observed that the PDP deputy governorship candidate, Samuel Gomina, lost his Tafa local government area to the APC by a slim margin.
As of the time of filing this report, results from two local government areas were yet to arrive from Niger East, and three LGAs from Niger south while no result had arrived from the 8 local government areas of Niger North considered to be the stronghold of the ruling APC.
In totality 14 local government areas’ results are being awaited before the final result is collated but strong indications emerged that APC took most of the areas.
Kano: NNPP Ahead Of APC
The governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State, Abba Kabiru Yusuf, was ahead of his All Progressives Congress (APC) rival, Nasir Gawuna, with over 13,000 votes in the 11 Local Government Areas so far declared at the state collation centre.
The LGAs are Rano, Rogo, Makoda, Kunchi, Wudil, Karaye, Tsanyawa, Minjibir, Gabasawa, Ajingi and Albasu.
The NNPP had so far polled 188,032 votes while APC trails with 175,003, a margin of 13,029.
Borno: Zulum Leads
The governor and APC candidate in Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum was leading with wide margin against his closest opponent, Mohammed Jajari of the PDP .
In the results as announced by the various collation officers from the 17 local government areas so far collated, Prof . Zulum scored 291,165 votes against Mohmmed Jajari of the PDP who polled 19,055 votes.