The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Umar Namadi has been declared the victor of the Jigawa governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
On Sunday in Dutse, Prof. Umar Zaiyan of Federal University Birnin Kebbi, the election’s returning officer, announced the results.
According to Zaiyan, Namadi received 618,449 votes, beating out Mr. Mustapha Sule Lamido, who received 368,726 votes.
“I Prof. Umar Zaiyan hereby certify that Umar Namadi of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the Law is declared the winner of Jigawa governorship election.”
He noted that 1.05 million votes were cast in the March 18 election out of which 1.03 million were the total number of legally cast ballots. 1.07 million voters were registered to vote in the election.
Namadi, 60, also defeated Malam Aminu Ringim of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) who clinched 37,156 votes.
The PDP had rejected INEC’s decision to declare the results, instead calling on the INEC returning officer to declare a section of the election as inconclusive.
The PDP’s representative, Malam Abubakar, declined to sign the result sheets when Zaiyan summoned the party agents to do so. They contained the scores of each contender in the governorship race.
As a result, he departed the collation centre without signing the results, claiming that the returning officer should have addressed his grievances before continuing with the formality of signing the result sheets.
Namadi, the incumbent deputy governor of Jigawa is a politician and chartered accountant.
