Buhari’s senator, Kaita, senate spokesman lose return bids

 The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday announced results of some senatorial elections conducted last Saturday.    

In Katsina North, the commission announced after collation of results that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hon. Nasiru Sani Zangon Daura, had defeated the incumbent senator, Ahmad Babba Kaita of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Returning Officer of the zone, Prof. Umar Sanda, said the APC candidate polled 174,062 while that of the PDP scored 163,586 votes. Kaita was representing President Muhammadu Buhari’s senatorial zone before his defeat in last Saturday’s poll.

Babba Kaita was elected to the Senate on the platform of the APC but later defected to the opposition PDP, while Zangon Daura is a serving member of the House of Representatives. Similarly, the Senate spokesman, Sen. Ajibola Bashiru, has lost his bid for re-election into the Senate for Osun Central on the platform of the APC. Bashiru lost to the candidate of the PDP, Fadeyi Olubiyi. Prof. Ibrahim Usman, the INEC Returning Officer, who announced the results Sunday in Osogbo, said Olubiyi polled 134, 229 votes to defeat Bashiru who scored 117, 609 votes.

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On the other hand, INEC has declared Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje of the APC as winner of the Gombe Central senatorial poll. Declaring the result in Kumo, Akko Local Government Area of the state, the Returning Officer, Professor Mustapha A. Muhammad, said Goje polled 102,916 to defeat Aliyu Abubakar of the PDP who scored 37,870 votes.

Also, Bibikir Muhammad of the NNPP scored 1,155 and Aliyu Musa Aliyu of Labour Party got 637 votes. Senator Goje who chairs the Senate Committee on Marine Transport was re-elected to the senate for a record fourth time.

He was first elected into the red chamber in 2011, at the end of his two-terms as governor of the state. In the same vein, the Senator representing Lagos West, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, has been re-elected in Ogun State. Adeola (aka Yayi) had switched his political base from Lagos to Ogun State, and ran on the platform of the APC. He polled 112,887 votes to beat his closest rival and candidate of the PDP,  Ganiyu Dada Obanibasiri, who scored 60,189. The Labour Party’s candidate came third with a total of 19, 244 votes.

The result was announced by Prof. Oluseye Olusegun Onabanjo of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, at the Oronna Townhall, Ilaro, Ogun West Senatorial Collation Centre, at about 7.30pm on Sunday. A former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, has been declared winner of the Ogun East Senatorial election held on Saturday.

Daniel, who ran on the platform of the APC, polled 115,147 votes to defeat other candidates in the race. The official results were announced by the Returning Officer, Prof. Christopher Onwuka, at Ogun East Senatorial Collation Centre in Itoro Hall, Ijebu-Ode.

Daniel cleared all the nine local government areas in the senatorial district, including Ijebu North, Odogbolu, Remo North, Sagamu, Ijebu North East, Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu East, Ikenne and Ogun Waterside. A breakdown of the results showed that the PDP came second in the senatorial election, with 58,708 votes while the Labour Party (LP) scored 13,061 votes.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 1,716 votes; Social Democratic Party (SDP) got 1,151 votes while Allied Peoples Movement (APM) had 857 votes. INEC has also declared Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele as winner of the Ekiti Central Senatorial election in Ado-Ekiti. He is the first Senator in Ekiti Central to be re-elected since 1999. Bamidele was declared winner of the poll by the INEC Returning Officer, Prof.  Sola Omotola, at the State Collation Centre, INEC State Headquarters, New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Sunday.

He polled a total of 69,351 to defeat his closest rival, Lateef Oladimeji Ajijola of the PDP who polled 26,181 votes.

A former governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, has emerged as winner of the Edo North Senatorial District election held last Saturday. Oshiomhole scored 107,110 votes to defeat his closest rival, the  incumbent Senator, Barr. Francis Alimikhena of the PDP, who polled 55,354 votes.

Declaring the Senatorial result, Prof. Buniyamin Adesina Ayinde, said the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Aslem Eragbe, garnered 15, 923 votes to come third in the race. The local governments that make up the senatorial district are; Etsako West, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan East, Owan West and Akoko Edo. Senator Alimikhena was seeking a third term of office but lost to the former national chairman of the APC, Oshiomhole.

By Saawua Terzungwe (Abuja), Tijjani Ibrahim (Katsina), Haruna Gimba Yaya (Gombe), Peter Moses (Abeokuta), Raphael Ogbonnaiye (Ado-Ekiti),  Zahraddeen Yakubu Shuaibu (Kano) & Usman A. Bello (Benin)