The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced Governor Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Imo State.
The umpire body also declared Usman Ododo of the APC as the winner of the governorship election in Kogi State.
Based on the declaration by INEC, Uzodinma polled 540,308 votes to defeat Senator Samuel Anyanwu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party’s Athan Achonu, who polled 71,503 and 64,081 votes respectively.
The 15 other candidates got less than 10,000 votes each.
For the Kogi election, Ododo polled 446,237 followed by his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who polled 259,052 votes; Dino Melaye of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), 46,362 and Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Party (ADP), 21,819 votes.
The Kogi State Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Johnson Urama, said the number of canceled votes in the areas where the election did not hold was 16, 247 and could not substantially affect the outcome of the result.
However, candidates of the major opposition parties in the two states rejected the outcome, describing it as a mockery of the electoral process.
Reacting to the results, the Publicity Secretary of PDP in Imo, Dr Ikenna Onuoha, said the party rejected the results declared by INEC in its entirety and would be challenging them in court.
“You know there was no election, the purported election was a sham. We have rejected the election in its entirety. PDP won in over 200 polling units and was criminally canceled. We’re going to court to seek redress and recover our mandate,” he said.
Also, the spokesperson of the LP Bright Ofurum who spoke to newsmen on the phone described the election as a devastation of democracy. “We will make our position known on the devastation and brutality we went through in various local government councils of Imo State. We will put them together and I will get back to you.”
They alleged that results were “manufactured” and uploaded on INEC’s Results Viewing (IReV) portal in the majority of the polling units where elections were not held.
In Bayelsa, INEC adjourned the collation to today’s noon (Monday) with two more local government areas being expected.
Results in six out of the eight local government areas have already been collated and announced with Governor Duoye Diri of the PDP ahead of APC’s Timipre Sylva and LP’s Udengs Eradiri.
The remaining two local governments are Brass and Southern Ijaw where Sylva and his running mate, Joshua Maciver, hail from.
Meanwhile, INEC has said that fresh elections will be held on Saturday in the affected polling units in Kogi where the election was suspended.
The election was suspended because some staff of the commission were reportedly caught with completed results sheets while the election was still ongoing.
INEC National Commissioner and Member of, the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, in a statement on Sunday, said the resolution of the commission was in line with Section 24(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 and Clause 59 of INEC Regulations and Guidelines on the Conduct of Elections 2022.
He stated that the decision to hold fresh elections was subject to the Returning Officer’s determination of the application of the Margin of Lead Principle.
“Further to our statement yesterday, we have received an update from our Kogi State office regarding the suspension of election in some locations in the state where result sheets were completed before the commencement of voting. The most critical incident occurred in nine out of 10 Wards in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area (LGA).
“We received reports of similar and other incidents in Adavi (5 Polling Units in Okunchi/Ozuri/Onieka Ward), Ajaokuta (5 Polling Units in Adogo Ward), Okehi (1 Polling Unit in Eika/Ohizenyi Ward) and Okene (5 Polling Units in Obehira Uvete Ward). Results from the affected Polling Units have been accounted for in Form EC40G for the four LGAs.
“However, in the case of Ogori/Magongo LGA, only the result of Oshobane Ward II with eight Polling Units and 2,264 registered voters has been collated. Elections in the other nine Wards (Eni, Okibo, Okesi, Ileteju, Aiyeromi, Ugugu, Obinoyin, Obatgben, and Oturu) involving 59 Polling Units and 15,136 registered voters remain suspended. In line with Section 24(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 and Clause 59 of INEC Regulations and Guidelines on the Conduct of Elections 2022, the fresh election will be held on Saturday 18th November 2023 in the affected Polling Units,” Haruna said.
He said INECs is committed to following the audit trail of materials to ascertain those involved and appropriate sanctions will be applied to personnel who might have been complicit in undermining the process.
- DSS dismisses 115 officers over misconduct, corruption - November 5, 2025
- APC Sweeps All LG Chairmanship Seats In Niger - November 5, 2025
- Court Set 13 Inmates Free Over Unlawful Detention In Taraba - November 5, 2025