UPDATE: How Ododo Clinched Kogi APC Ticket with Landslide Victory
The former Auditor-General of Kogi state in charge of the 21 local government areas, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has been elected as the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
The secretary of the Kogi APC primary election committee, Hon Patrick Obahiagbon, announced on Friday that Ododo scored 78, 704 votes to beat six other contestants.
Salami Momodu got 1, 506 votes, Abubakar Yahaya-Achimugu secured 1159 and Shaaibu Abubakar-Audu polled 763 votes.
Stephen Ocheni garnered 552 votes, Sanusi Ohiare had 424, and Smart Adeyemi got 311 votes.
According to Obahiagbon, of the 93, 729 voters, 83, 419 were accredited and took part in the exercise.
“Ododo, having scored the majority of the lawful votes cast at the direct primary election conducted on April 14, 2023, in Kogi state, is hereby declared the winner of the APC primary election 2023.
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“Ahmed Usman-Ododo is hereby returned as the duly elected governorship candidate of APC for the November 2023 governorship election,” he announced on behalf of the chairman of the panel, Bello Matawalle.
Ododo was anointed by Governor Yahaya Bello on Thursday who prevailed upon other contenders to step down.
The deputy governor, Edward Onoja, led other prominent members of the ruling party to withdraw from the race in deference to the governor’s choice of Ododo.
Others that withdrew from the race are Yakubu Oseni, Idachaba Friday, Momoh Jibrin, Okala Yusuf Yakubu, Jimoh Adebanji David, Asiru Idris and Abdulkareem Mohammed Jamiu.
Former Deputy Governorship candidate, Hon James Abiodun Faleke, had earlier withdrawn before the screening.
According to an electoral committee document seen by POLITICS DIGEST, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, who has been claiming victory, had been disqualified by the State High Court having been suspended by his ward.
Kogi APC had adopted the direct primary election mode to pick its candidate for the gubernatorial election.
Direct primary allows party members to vote for their preferred candidates at the ward level.
The governorship election in Kogi is scheduled to hold on November 11.
