The Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the governorship election held in Kogi
on Saturday inconclusive following the cancellation of the results of the poll
in 91 polling units.
Announcing the decision
on Sunday in Lokoja, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Emmanuel
Kucha, said that INEC took the step because the 49,453 registered voters in the
affected polling units in 18 local government areas were more than the
difference between the votes of the two leading candidates.
He said that the
cancellations were due to insecurity, ballot boxes snatching recorded in Adavi,
Ofu, Ajaokuta, Bassa, Ankpa, Dekina, Ibaji, Idah, Okehi, Okene, Omala,
Olamaboro, Yagba-West, Lokoja, Kogi, Kabba/Bunu, Igalamela-Odolu and Ijumu
local government areas.
Kucha said that a
supplementary election to determine the winner between the APC candidate,
Alhaji Abubakar Audu and PDP candidate, Gov. Idris Wada would be held in due
course.
He explained that the
decision to declare the election inconclusive was in compliance with the
provision of the Electoral Act.
From the
official results released by INEC, the APC candidate scored 240,867 votes
against PDP's 199, 514 votes.
Kucha, who is the
Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue, said that
INEC was expected to conduct the supplementary election in the affected units
within one week as provided by the Electoral Act.
He announced that only
511, 648 out of 1, 379,971 registered voters in the state were accredited to
vote in the election. (NAN)
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