Rerun elections: PDP Wins Sokoto, Bauchi, Benue, APC Clears Plateau
Following the rerun elections that were conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, 23, March 2019, the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) has clenched Sokoto, Bauchi and Benue states while the All Progressives Congress (APC) cleared Plateau state.
In Benue state, the returning officer, Sebastian Maimako, declared Ortom winner on Sunday after he secured 434,473 votes to defeat Emmanuel Jime, his closest rival and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 345,155 votes.
The governor emerged victorious with the margin of 89,318.
In Bauchi state, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bala Muhammed, a former senator and FCT minister, was on Sunday declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to have won the highest number of votes in the just concluded supplementary governorship election.
He polled over 6, 376 votes to defeat the incumbent Bauchi state governor, Muhammed Abubakar of the APC, who polled 5, 117 votes.
The results of the supplementary election held in 36 polling units consolidated the leading margin of the PDP candidate who was earlier leading with 2,059 votes before INEC cancelled the entire votes from Tafawa Balewa local government over alleged mutilation of result sheet.
The cancelled Tafawa Balewa local government polls was earlier slated for Saturday’s supplementary polls before INEC later reversed its decision to continue collation and declaration of the result, after Abubakar went to court to block the process.
However, having emerged victorious in the supplementary polls, Muhammed said he was as good as the governor-elect as the rerun had consolidated his winning chances more than ever before.
He said the outcome of the Tafawa Balewa litigation may no longer affect his victory.
Addressing a press conference in Bauchi, Muhammed thanked the people of the state for standing by him.
Muhammed promised to run an all inclusive government which he said will “silence the doubting Thomases.”
“The collation of the rerun election that has just been concluded by the INEC is a work of God and we all owe it to Him, the beneficient, the merciful.
We also owe it to the people of Bauchi who have also stood very firm on the threshold of freedom and liberty; who have realised that they are the icons of democracy.
“Definitley words will not express my appreciation to the people of Bauchi who have accepted to unseat an incumbent governor, not because they hate him; not because they don’t like him; but because of the spirit of democracy, because of the liberty of choice; because of expectations not met; not because he is not our son.
“We want to appreciate the people of Bauchi and to call on them that this auspicious achievement deserves to be celebrated.
He urged his supporters and other well meaning citizens of Bauchi to go about celebrating the new found victory “with peace and gratitude to God almighty.”
“There shouldn’t be any destruction of property or letting of blood. We must take care that we are the sons and daughters of Bauchi and we are here to usher in the peace and tranquility, harmony and good relationship between each other.
“We do not hold any acrimony or hatred against anybody; even those who did not vote for us should be free to join us in this celebration.
“For those who are doubting Thomases, we assure you that we will bring good governance that has never been seen in Bauchi before. As you can see the assemblage of the group that makes up our team; they are the best eleven of Bauchi state, made of distinguished senators, technocrats and civil servants, former secretaries to the government and in fact people who have achieved a lot in their various endeavours. We intend to have a unity administration.”
In Plateau state, Governor Simon Lalong of the All Progressives Congress won the Plateau State governorship election, following the supplementary poll.
Lalong was declared the winner by the Returning Officer in the state , Prof. Richard Kimbir , after scoring 595, 582 votes to defeat 23 other candidates, including the Peoples Democratic Party standard- bearer, Jeremiah Useni , who garnered 546 ,813.
Kimbir stated that a total of 1, 159, 954 valid votes were recorded while 16, 188 were rejected, saying 1 ,176 ,142 was the total number of votes cast.
The results for the nine LGAs that took part in the supplementary poll, including Barkin Ladi , Bassa , Bokkos , Jos North, Kanam , Langtang South , Mangu, Pankshin and Shendam , showed that Lalong scored 12,327 new votes, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party , Jeremiah Useni, earned 8 ,487 . There was no cancellation of results recorded.
