Felix Otaru, Lokoja
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has been declared winner of the November, 11 governorship election in Kogi state.
Alhaji Ahmed Ododo polled a total of four hundred and forty-six thousand, two hundred and thirty-seven votes to defeat his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who scored two hundred and fifty-nine thousand and fifty-two votes.
Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who came a distant third polled forty-six thousand, three hundred and sixty-two votes.
While declaring the result of the election, the State Returning Officer, Professor Johnson Urama, who is also the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said the total number of Permanent Voter Cards in the affected polling units in Ogori-Magongo Local Government where election was earlier scheduled to hold next Saturday was put at sixteen thousand, two hundred and forty seven.
He said the figure is insignificant to the about two hundred thousand votes gathered by the APC candidate ahead of his closest rival – Muritala Ajaka.
The Returning Officer explained that the margin of lead implied that the elections initially scheduled by INEC for next Saturday in the fifty-nine polling units in Ogori-Magongo would no longer be held.