By Uche Amunike
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has emerged winner of the Nigeria election held on March 18, for Governorship and State Houses of Assembly, in Lagos state.
According to an announcement made by the returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the incumbent governor of Lagos won 19, out of the 20 local councils in the state with 762,134 votes, while his closest rival, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party scored 312,329 votes, leaving their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Olajide Adediran with 62,449 votes. Babajide Sanwo-Olu was re-elected Governor of Lagos State by INEC, Monday, at 1.15am.
In Sokoto State, Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has also been declared Governor-elect of the state by the returning officer of the electoral umpire and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutsinma, Prof Armiyau Hamis, who declared that he garnered 453,661 votes, defeating his closest rival, Mallam Saidu Umar of the Peoples Democratic Party who polled 404,632 votes. In all, Ahmad Aliyu won 17 local government areas out of the 23 local councils of the state, while the PDP won in 6 local councils at the just concluded Nigeria election of March 18, 2023.
In Ogun state, INEC declared Governor Dapo Abiodun of the APC the winner of the election in the state with 276,298 votes. According to the returning officer, Professor Kayode Adebowale, his rival from the PDP camp, Hon. Ladipupo Adebutu scored 262,383 votes, while Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 94,754 votes. The result further stated that Abiodun won in 12 local councils, while Adebutu won in 8 local councils. This has led to the PDP writing a petition to the electoral umpire to order a re-run of the election in some polling units that had their results canceled as a result of violence and non- functioning BVAs.
In reaction, however, the APC in Ogun state has described the call for a re-run of the election by the PDP as an indication that they were sore losers, alongside their major promoter, former Governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
Speaking, through a statement released, Sunday, in Abeokuta, the State Publicity Secretary of the APC stated that calling for a re-run barely few minutes after the results were declared by INEC and published by ,a rag-sheet funded and founded by Amosun could only have come from people who knew of their electoral loss, well ahead.’
The statement also read: ‘It is unfortunate that we have to react to this baseless demand purportedly from PDP but intriguingly published by one of Amosun’s lackeys even when major newspapers are yet to report or give details of the governorship election results.’
‘The just retired former political gladiators should first go back home and drink water and relax even as they lick their wounds. With their failure at the polls, it is still appearing to them as a dream because it is unbelievable to them that they could lose the election despite the humongous ill-gotten wealth and violence that the grandstanders displayed and deployed.’
