….Wins Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, PDP takes Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi***

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has been declared the winner of the state’s governorship election.

El-Rufai, a candidate of the All Progressives Congres, polled total votes of 1,045,427 while his closest rival Isa Ashiru of the People’s Democratic Party garnered of 814,168 votes.

The difference between the two is 231,259 votes. El-Rufai won in 14 local governments while Ashiru won in nine.

“That Nasir El-Rufai of the APC having satisfied the requirements of the law and having scored the highest number of votes is hereby returned and elected,” said Prof. Muhammed Bello, the state collation officer.

Already, the PDP had rejected the election result.

In the meantime, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday started the announcement of the results of governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections held in the country on Saturday.

The results released so far revealed some surprises and upsets across the country. For instance, the ruling All Progressives Congress in Oyo State lost the governorship poll to the Peoples Democratic Party. The APC candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, backed by the incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi, lost scandalously to his PDP’s counterpart, Seyi Makinde, with a margin of 157, 635 votes. While Makinde polled 515,621 votes, Adelabu came second with 357,982 votes.

Also, as it was during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections in Kwara State where the incumbent Senate President, Bukola Saraki, lost his bid to return to the Senate, his party lost all elective positions in the March 9 polls.

The Kwara State APC governorship candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, swept the poll to beat his PDP counterpart, Abdulrazak Atunwa, with a margin of 216,792 votes.

Also, the APC governorship candidate in Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, won a landslide victory over his closest rival, Jimi Agbaje of the PDP. Observers had expected Agbaje to give Sanwo-Olu a run for his money, but this was not to be as the political machinery of the national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu that backed the new comer was too much for Agbaje.

The PDP candidate was beaten with over 500,000 votes.

But as the people of Rivers State were waiting for the outcome of the polls, INEC announced the suspension of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state till further notice.

It cited violence that marred the exercise as reason for its actions.

Protest from the national headquarters of the PDP is, however, trailing the electoral umpire’s decision.

However, INEC had declared winners in some of the 29 states where the governorship poll was conducted on Saturday as of the time of filing this report this morning. These states include Lagos, Kwara, Gombe, Enugu, Oyo, Abia, Kebbi, Jigawa, Katsina , Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi and Niger.

Other states where the results have not been fully released include Benue, Nasarawa, Sokoto.

But the results so far declared have  stirred protest as opposition parties in some states rejected the outcome citing vote-buying, supporters’ harassment and alleged bias by the electoral umpire and the security agencies as reasons.

INEC declares Sanwo-Olu as new Lagos governor

INEC on Sunday declared the APC candidate, Sanwo-Olu, as the winner of the March 9 governorship election held in the state on Saturday.

Sanwo-Olu, who scored 739,445 out of the 977,476 total valid votes in the election, defeated 44 other candidates to emerge as the governor-elect in the state.

The candidate of the PDP in the election, Agbaje, polled the second highest votes in the election with 206,141 votes.

Declaring the result of the election at the state collation centre in Yaba at about 8.40pm on Sunday, the state Returning Officer, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, said Sanwo-Olu, scored the highest number of votes to win the election.

Ogunbodede, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, said, “That Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”

He said the number of registered voters was 6,505,512; number of accredited voters was 1,006,074; total number of votes cast was 998,715, rejected votes was 21,239, while the total number of valid votes was 977,476.

Ogunmodede pointed out that 31 party agents signed the result sheet.

Sanwo-Olu thanked residents of the state for electing him in the March 9 governorship election.

Addressing party stakeholders in Ikeja after he was declared the winner by INEC, Sanwo-Olu said he was honoured by the overwhelming support of residents.

He said though “the victory carries my name,” his success in the election was actually victory for all residents.

Sanwo-Olu said he viewed the mandate given to him as a call to service to improve the lives of the people.

“I accept the mandate given to me and I understand that it bestows the most profound honour and sober responsibility on me. I thank and commend those who contributed to this campaign. You have laboured and toiled countless hours and done so much.

“You have exerted yourself not just for me but because you believe in the vision that we share.

“You are too numerous to name at this time; in the next few days, I wish to personally thank each one of you for this progressive and collective efforts.

“Most of all, I must commend the voters and honour them; though this victory bears my name, the victory actually belongs to you dear Lagosians,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the party National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, for believing in his vision.

He said he would not disappoint those who had invested their trust in him, as he was focused on development.

He faulted what he called unhealthy statements and actions made by some of his rivals before the election.

Sanwo-Olu said some of the statements and actions were capable of causing disunity in the state and affecting peaceful co-existence.

He said it was time for all to put the pre-election politics aside and join him in efforts to birth a better Lagos.

Guardian NG with additional report from Punch