APC wins in 13 states, PDP in nine as INEC declares 22 governors-elect

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared winners in 22 of the 29 states where governorship elections were held last Saturday.

Of the states, 13 were won by candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), leaving the rest for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The exercise has been declared inconclusive in six states while the electoral process in Rivers State was undergoing review by the electoral umpire.

The states where the INEC will organise supplementary elections are: Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Plateau, Benue and Kano.

All but one of the states so far won by the opposition party are in the Southeast and the Southsouth. Only two of the elected governors  are coming into office afresh.

The seven incumbent governors who have been declared governors-elect are: Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia); Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom); Ben Ayade (Cross River); David Umahi (Ebonyi); Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta); Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Dairus Ishaku (Taraba).

The two new PDP governors are Emeka Ihedioha and Seyi Makinde of Imo and Oyo states. The duo dislodged the APC administration that held the forte in the states for eight years.

Of the 13 states declared for the APC, eight are  – PDP is dislodged in Gombe (Inuwa Yahaya) and Kwara (AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq).

The other new ones are: Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Mai Mala Buni (Yobe); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); Muktar Idris (Zamfara) and Prof Babagana Zulum (Borno).

Returned as governors-elect on the APC banner are: Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina); Abubakar Bello (Niger); Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi) and Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa).