In the aftermath of the governorship elections held on Saturday in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states, preliminary results suggest that incumbent governors Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and Hope Uzodimma of Imo State have taken an early lead as the collation of results continues.
In Bayelsa State, where Douye Diri seeks re-election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), early computations from 131 random polling units across several local government areas indicate Diri has secured 13,396 votes. His closest rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), garnered 4,802 votes.
In Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma, the APC candidate for re-election, appears to have polled 22,113 votes according to results from 90 polling units across various local government areas. Meanwhile, the PDP candidate Samuel Anyanwu and Labour Party candidate Senator Athan Achonu garnered 1,452 and 1,658 votes respectively.
Kogi State witnessed a closely contested race with Usman Ododo of the APC and Muri Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) vying for the lead. Results from 149 polling units across five local government areas showed that Ododo scored 21,047 votes, Ajaka secured 7,324 votes, and Dino Melaye of the PDP garnered 2,529 votes.
As of the latest updates on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing portal, the collation progress is as follows:
- Bayelsa State: 85.29% of the results uploaded, covering 1,914 out of 2,242 total polling units.
- Imo State: 90.1% of the results uploaded, with 4,287 out of 4,758 total polling units.
- Kogi State: 87.34% of the results uploaded, encompassing 3,064 out of 3,508 total polling units.
The elections were not without incidents, as reports indicate instances of violence, low voter turnout, and pockets of vote-buying across the three states. In Imo State, one person was reportedly shot dead in the Ikeduru Local Government Area, while in Bayelsa, violence, intimidation, and ballot box snatching were reported in various local government areas.
The situation in Kogi State saw a suspension of elections in nine wards in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area due to electoral malpractices, including completed result sheets before voting.
Despite these challenges, the collation of results continues, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.