Live Updates: Kogi 2023 Governorship Election Results and Situation Report

Live Updates of Kogi 2023 Governorship Election Results and Situation Report can be accessed below.

Today, 11 November 2023, the people of Kogi State, northcentral Nigeria, will troop out to elect a new governor to govern the northcentral state for another four-year term.

Newsone reports that the Kogi Governorship Election 2023 is taking place in twenty-one (21) Local Government Areas (LGAs). The winning candidates must have the highest number of votes and at least 25 percent of the votes in at least 14 of the 21 local government areas (LGAs) of the state, the minimum requirement to be declared winner of the election according to Section 179 of the Nigerian constitution.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria’s electoral umpire, put the number of registered voters for the election at 1.8 million. The voters will pick one out of 18 candidates seeking to succeed Governor Yahaya Bello as the governor of Kogi State in North-central Nigeria.

This online news platform understands that the governorship election in Kogi is usually between candidates from the majority Igala ethnic group in Kogi East Senatorial District and their opponents from the two other senatorial districts. The Ebira ethnic group, the second largest ethnic group in the state, are mainly in Kogi Central District while the Okun Yoruba constitute the largest group in Kogi West. The contest is no different in this election.

The candidates

The election is believed to be a three-horse race involving the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Usman Ododo; the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Dino Melaye; and the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) candidate, Murtala Ajaka.

Usman Ododo

Mr Ododo, 41, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He is from Okene Local Government Area. Governor Bello comes from the same LGA.

Usman Ododo was a member of the Nigerian Youth Parliament, a special assistant to incumbent governor Yahaya Bello and chairman of the Kogi State Youth Council. He is the former Auditor-General of Kogi State.

Mr Bello is perceived to have handpicked Mr Ododo as his successor and many feared he would become Mr Bello’s puppet if elected into office.

Dino Melaye

Mr Melaye, 49, was the senator in Nigeria’s 8th National Assembly for Kogi West district. He is from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area.

In 2015, he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) but returned to PDP in the buildup to the 2019 elections after months of political struggle with Mr Bello.

He was the spokesperson of the 2023 presidential candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

Murtala Ajaka

Mr Ajaka, 45, holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree in Sociology from the University of Abuja.

He hails from Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of the state.

He started his political career as the Deputy State Secretary of the now-defunct Action Congress (AC), FCT Chapter. He also served as the party’s National Assembly Liaison Officer.

Until he defected recently, Mr Ajaka was a member of the APC since the inception of the party in 2013. In 2020, he was appointed a Special Adviser to the national chairman of the party.

In 2022, he was elected the APC’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary at the party’s National Convention. He defected from the party this year after a court barred him from running in the party’s governorship primary. Mr Ajaka is contesting under the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Newsone Nigeria is on the ground to give you live updates from the election.

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Live reports from Kogi state, northcentral Nigeria. Check Results: HERE

9:00 AM: Voting is yet to commence in Lokoja Metropolis

As of 9 a.m., when polling stations were supposed to open for voting, the exercise had yet to commence across many polling units within the Lokoja metropolis.

At the Ava Junction polling unit, security agencies and voters were on the ground waiting for Independent National Electoral Commission officials who were not in sight.

It was the same situation at the Miami polling unit at Adankolo in Lokoja local government area, where many voters were seen checking their names on the INEC list.

Kogi witnesses the late arrival of INEC officials, materials at polling units

The Off-cycle Governorship Election in Kogi witnessed late arrival of INEC officials at polling units in some parts of the state.

Most places around Lokoja metropolis encountered the late arrival of officials and materials.

INEC had announced that materials and officials were expected to arrive at their centres/polling units by 6:00 a.m.

Places like Adankolo, Lokongoma and Kpata encountered similar challenges.

Mr. Cornelius Stephen, a civil servant that came from Kano to vote, expressed disappointment with INEC, which had assured timely distribution of materials and arrival of officials at polling units across Kogi.

“This election is different from what we experienced on Feb. 25 and March 18 elections.

“You can see that it’s 7:40 a.m. already, yet only security personnel are around here at St Luke Primary School, Adankolo within Lokoja 1 Ward A,” he said.

The officials for the ward, however, arrived at 8:15 a.m. and moved to their various polling units.

Abiola Choice, Presiding Officer (PO), said that they came late to St. Luke Primary School, Adankolo, because of late distribution of materials at the RAC Centre in Crowder Memorial College, Lokoja.

She added: “Even after we got the materials from the RAC (Registration Area Centres), there was no vehicle to convey us to the polling units.

“As you can see, we are trying to set the tables and also paste the voters registers on the walls for the voters to check their names to come forward for accreditation and voting.

“By God’s grace in a few minutes we shall be done with the setting for the accreditation to commence,” Choice assured.

Again, there were no agents of the 18 participating political parties in some of the polling units.

Kogi guber: Election peaceful, orderly – APC candidate, Ododo after casting vote

The All Progressives Congress, APC, Kogi governorship candidate, Usman Ododo, on Saturday said the ongoing election in the State was peaceful and orderly.

He made the remark after casting his ballot at his polling unit.

He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the conduct of the ongoing election.

According to Ododo: “I commend INEC management for how far it’s going and as you can see the election is peaceful and orderly.”

2: 40 pm: PU 023, General Hospital Bus Stop , RA 05, Ugwolawo, Ofu LGA, Kogi state. Voting, sorting, and counting concluded.

APC – 09

SDP – 57.