2015 Kogi gubernatorial election

The 2015 Kogi Gubernatorial election was held on 21 November 2015 to elect a governor for Kogi State.[1] The last Kogi state gubernatorial election was held in 2011. The incumbent governor, Captain Idris Wada, ran for re-election against the former governor, Prince Abubakar Audu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress. Kogi State has a different governorship election calendar from other states of the Nigerian Federation. This happened in 2007, when the Appeal Court affirmed annulment of the election of the incumbent, Ibrahim Idris for electoral irregularities and ordered a fresh election in a case filed by Abubakar Audu.[2]

21 November 2015
 
Nominee Idris Wada Prince Abubakar Audu
Party People's Democratic Party All Progressives Congress
Popular vote 199,514 240,867
Governor before election

Idris Wada
PDP

 Elected Governor

Yahaya Bello
APC

Candidates

This is a list of Kogi State governorship candidates and their political parties. Although there would have been 22 candidates but Zainab Usman, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), announced her withdrawal from the contest on 21 November, asking her supporters to votes for Abubakar Audu. But this was too late to alter election materials, thus her name remained on the ballot paper. Two candidates were prominent, namely Idris Wada (incumbent) of the Peoples Democratic Party and Abubakar Audu of the All Progressives Congress.[3]

Candidate Party
Prince Abubakar Audu APC
Captain Idris Wada PDP
Isah Yakubu Kamaldeen AA
Dickson F. Fred A
Ukenya Musa ACD
Michael Abdullahi AD
Odufu Cosmas Friday APA
Akwu Umar Goodman APGA
Yinka Cherry Oloruntoba CPP
Philips Ezekiel Koleola DPC
Abubakar Ibrahim DPP
Ibrahim Adejoh ID
Raji Ogirima KOWA
Philips Omeiza Ozovehe Salawu LP
Mohammed Ibrahim Dangana NCP
Mallam Abdul Hussein NNPP
Emmanuel Daikwo PD
Emmanuel Enesi Ozigi PPA
Ojuh Godwin Hussein PPN
Enema Paul SDP
Saád Mukailu Yaro UDP
Usman Zainab ADC

Gubernatorial election campaigns

Gubernatorial election campaigns by political parties commenced on 24 July 2015, and ended 19 November 2015.[4] The two top contenders campaigned throughout the 21 local governments and 239 wards of the state.[3]

Results

On 22 November 2015, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the results of the election from all the 21 local government areas in the State.[5] Though there were thoughts of possibly violence that resulted in huge deployment of security personnel, election day turned out to be largely peaceful. The election drew a crowd of voters in the election between the opposition APC and the ruling PDP (in Kogi State at the time). The results announced in all the polling units which make up the state for the election were declared by the State Collation/Returning Officer.[6] Prince Abubakar Audu sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) had 240,867 votes while Captain Idris Wada, the incumbent governor, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 199,514 and came second. The margin between the two candidates was 41,353 votes.[7]

Election declared inconclusive

The candidate of the APC, Abubakar Audu died while election data were being collated for declaration of winner.[8][9][10] This threw up confusion as to who would inherit the votes received by the deceased candidate.[11][12][13] The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared the election inconclusive mainly due to the death of the APC candidate,[14] but cited other legal reasons to back its actio.[15][16][17] According to results declared by the Returning Officer, Emmanuel Kucha, Abubakar Audu of the All Progressives Congress scored 240,867 while Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 199,514 votes. Mr. Kucha said the margin of votes between Abubakar Audu and Idris Wada is 41,353. And thereby making the election inconclusive because the total number of registered voters in 91 polling units, in 18 local government areas, where election was cancelled is 49,953.[18]

Supplementary Election

The Supplementary Election was conducted on 5 December 2015, in 91 polling units across 18 local government areas in Kogi state. According to the results declared by Mr. Kucha, the APC had 6,885 votes in the supplementary election, bringing the total votes it received to 247,752, having polled 240,857 in the November 21 election. The second runner up, the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Captain Idris Wada, the incumbent governor, scored 5,363 in the supplementary election. Thus, PDP polled a total of 204, 877 votes, having had 199,514 at the November 21 election.[19]

Declaration of Kogi state Governor

The Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) declared Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress following inconclusiveness of the governorship election on November 22. The Returning Officer, Mr. Kucha, declared Mr. Bello winner. Following the conclusion that Yahaya Bello of the APC, satisfied the requirement of the law. Mr. Kucha said, Mr. Bello emerged APC candidate for the supplementary election, after the death of Abubakar Audu on November 22. The deceased won the APC primary election and Yahaya Bello was first runner-up.[19]

See also

References
  1. "INEC declares APC's Yahaya Bello winner of Kogi governorship election - Premium Times Nigeria". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  2. "Nigeria: As Appeal Court Upholds Idris' Sack, Kogi Speaker Takes Over".
  3. "Kogi Election: Audu, Wada, 20 other candidates in race for Governor - Premium Times Nigeria". premium times. November 21, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  4. "INEC releases timetable for governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa - Premium Times Nigeria". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  5. "INEC Declares Kogi Governorship Election Inconclusive - Channels Television". Channels Television. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  6. "Confusion as INEC declares Kogi election inconclusive". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  7. "#kogidecides: INEC Declares Kogi Governorship Electionm Inconclusive". Vanguard News. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  8. "How APC Governorship Candidate, Abubakar Audu, died - Relative - Premium Times Nigeria". 2015-11-22. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  9. "Abubakar Audu dies after 'massive stroke'". TheCable. 2015-11-22. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  10. "Abubakar Audu died before his time— Tinubu - P.M. News". www.pmnewsnigeria.com. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  11. "INEC asks APC to replace Audu, orders Kogi election to continue - Premium Times Nigeria". 2015-11-24. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  12. "Faleke kicks as APC replaces Audu with Bello". TheCable. 2015-11-30. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  13. "Kogi: Why we rejected Audu Abubakar's son as father's replacement - APC - Premium Times Nigeria". 2015-12-18. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  14. "Abubakar Audu's Death: INEC confused over fate of inconclusive Kogi governorship poll - Premium Times Nigeria". 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  15. "#kogidecides: INEC Declares Kogi Governorship Election Inconclusive". Vanguard News. 2015-11-22. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  16. Abubakar, Hassana Salisu (2015-11-22). "INEC Declares Kogi governorship election inconclusive". Freedom Radio Nigeria. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  17. "INEC declares Kogi governorship election inconclusive - Premium Times Nigeria". 2015-11-22. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  18. "INEC Declares Kogi Election Inconclusive". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  19. "INEC declares APC's Yahaya Bello winner of Kogi governorship election". premium times. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
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