Kogi Governorship Election: APC’s Usman Ododo Declared Winner with 446,237 Votes

In a hard-fought battle, the Kogi State Governorship Election held on November 11, 2023, has declared Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner.

The State Returning Officer, Prof Johnson Urama, announced the victory, declaring Ododo as the elected governor with 446,237 votes.

Ododo’s victory saw him 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 results were collated from the 21 local government areas (LGAs) in the state.

Usman Ododo, a former Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi under Governor Yahaya Bello, emerged as the anointed candidate of the outgoing governor, who is completing his double terms of eight years.

The announcement of Ododo’s victory was not without controversy, as Dino Melaye and civil rights groups raised concerns over “filled result sheets” in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area.

Melaye called for the suspension of the exercise due to violence and vote-buying. In response, INEC suspended the election in nine wards in the local government area.

Subsequently, INEC announced that fresh polls would be conducted in 59 polling units in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area on November 18, 2023.

However, the decision to hold fresh elections is subject to the Returning Officer’s determination of the application of the Margin of Lead Principle.

Despite the opposition’s rejection of the outcome, the declaration by the Returning Officer solidifies Usman Ododo’s victory in the Kogi State Governorship Election.

Source: Channels TV