The Details – Eight New Governors, 12 Re-Elected

28 April 2011

Results of Tuesday’s governorship election held in 24 states of the federation came in torrents Tuesday, with 12 sitting governors confirmed re-elected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Eight new governors were also elected, while results from three states were pending and one state inconclusive.

The sitting governors who were returned are Theodore Orji (Abia), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina) and David Jonah Jang (Plateau).

The new governors are Umaru Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa), Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano) who was governor of the state between 1999 and 2003, Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), AbdulFatah Ahmed (Kwara), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Kashim Shettima (Borno) and Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe).

Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe) is being elected for the first time as governor, having assumed office two years ago on the death of the former governor of the state, Senator Ali Mamman, to whom he was deputy.

Results were still being awaited from Delta, Taraba and Zamfara last night, with Plateau remaining only one council to declare. The election in Imo has been declared inconclusive by INEC, now awaiting further action from the National Secretariat.

Significantly, PDP has now been wiped off from the South-west, with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) claiming Ogun and Oyo, in addition to the Ekiti and Osun which it won through election petitions.

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) won its first governorship in Nasarawa State, failing in Katsina and Kano where it was expected to win.

These are the state-by-state results.

ABIA

Orji (PDP) 641,158

Ufomba (APGA) 49,421

Abia State Governor Theodore Orji has finally succeeded in his quest for a second tenure with a resounding victory in the gubernatorial election, polling 641,158 votes to beat 18 other opponents in the race which turned out to be a no contest for him. His closest opponent, Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), came a distant second with 49,421 votes. Former deputy governor, Comrade Chris Akomas of the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA), came third with 42,778, while Prince Paul Ikonne of ACN got 18,004 votes and Stanley Ohajuruka of Labour Party (LP) coming fifth with 15,720 votes.

AKWA IBOM

Akpabio (PDP) 957,585

Udoedehe (ACN) 163,449

Residents of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday took to the streets in jubilation over the declaration of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Godswill Akpabio, as the winner of the April 26, 2011 governorship election in the state having beaten 13 others gubernatorial candidates in the race. The result announced by the Returning Officer (REC), Prof. Comfort Ekpo, showed that Akpabio won in 29 local government areas of the state out of 31 with 957,585 votes to be re-elected for a second term. Details of the results released by Prof. Ekpo, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, indicated that the governorship candidate of ACN, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, had 163,449 votes wining in Uran and Uyo Local Government areas to pick second position.

BENUE

Suswam (PDP) 568,069

Ugbah (ACN) 499,646

Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam has emerged the winner of the governorship election in the state. Suswam polled majority vote in 15 of the 23 local government areas of the state, while his closest rival, Prof. Steven Ugbah of the ACN, won in seven local government areas. A breakdown of the result by INEC REC, Prof. Daniel Uza, showed that PDP scored a total of 568,069, while the ACN scored 499,646. The PDP won the governorship election with 68,423 margin. ACN has rejected the result of the poll citing several cases of irregularities even as most observers have praised the conduct of the poll.

BORNO

Shettima (ANPP) 531,147

Goni (PDP) 450,140

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate Kashim Shettima has been declared by INEC as the winner of the Borno State governorship election. In a keenly contested election, the ANPP candidate defeated the First Republic governor of Old Borno State, a Septuagenarian and PDP candidate, Muhammed Goni, by a margin of 81,007 votes. The election of the 44-year-old Shettima makes it the fourth time (since the return of democracy in 1999) that the ANPP will be defeating the PDP in Borno. The defeat of PDP at the governorship poll made it the fourth time they would be coming out second best at the poll as their candidates – Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda and Kashim Imam (twice) – have lost at previous elections. But the declaration of the INEC was massively protested by some youths and PDP party supporters who took to the streets and blocked major roads along Mafoni and Shehuri areas of the state capital burning tires and chanting anti-ANPP slogans. Kashim was declared to have won with total votes of 531,147 ahead the PDP candidate, Goni, who polled 450,140 votes.

DELTA

Awaiting results/Uduaghan (PDP) leading.

EBONYI

Elechi (PDP) 287,217

Ucha (ANPP) 125,248

Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State has been returned by INEC as the winner of the governorship election in the state. Declaring the results of governorship and House of Assembly elections, INEC stated that PDP won in 11 local government areas, while ANPP won in two councils. The Governorship Returning Officer, Prof. Egbeke Aja, stated that Elechi polled a total of 287,217 votes to defeat his closest rival, Senator Julius Ucha of ANPP, who scored a total of 125,248 votes.

ENUGU

Chime (PDP) 419,790

Ezea (LP) 30,135

Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has been declared winner as the PDP also cleared the 24 House of Assembly seats. In the result declared by the state Returning Officer and Vice- Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof Bartho Okolo, the PDP candidate polled 419,790 votes to beat his closest rival and candidate of the LP, Okey Ezea, who polled a distant 30,135 votes. The candidate of the People for Democratic Change (PDC), Dr. Dan Shere, came third with 29,565 votes. Speaking with newsmen after declaring the result, Prof. Okolo commended politicians in the state for the peaceful manner they conducted themselves throughout the election and after receiving the outcome.

GOMBE

Dankwambo (PDP) 596,481

Aliyu (CPC) 91,781

The immediate past Accountant General of the Federation, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of the ruling PDP, has been declared winner of the Gombe State gubernatorial election, defeating five other contenders. While declaring the result in Gombe yesterday evening, the Returning Officer for the state gubernatorial election, Prof. Yaganani Karta, declared that Dankwambo polled a total of 596,481 votes, while his closet rival, Abubakar Aliyu of the CPC, polled a total of 91,781 just as Sai’du Umar Kumo of the ANPP polled a total of 84,959.

IMO

The election was been declared inclusive by the State Chief Returning Office, Prof. Enock Akobundu, because there were no results and elections in about three local governments in the state. According to the Akobundu, in view of the closeness and inclusiveness nature of the election in three Local Government Areas, the governorship election in Imo State “is hereby declared inconclusive”.

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