APC wins Edo federal legislative bye-election, loser to review outcome

• Party officials reject electronic voting in Kaduna
• Lagos PDP tasks Fayose on govs’ forum membership

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Etsako Federal Constituency of Edo State by-election at the weekend, Johnson Oghuma, has been declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He polled 39,876 votes to beat his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rival, Jude Imagwe, who got 18,193 ballots. The Returning Officer, Prof. Shola Omotola, who announced the results yesterday, gave the breakdown as: 58,427 valid votes and 874 rejected ballots. The total vote cast was 59,301.

Speaking to newsmen after his declaration, Oghuma assured the people of effective representation. Though there were minor cases of failure of the card readers where incidence forms were used as alternative, the entire exercise was peaceful, as soldiers, anti-riot policemen and officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were deployed in strategic locations to provide adequate security.

Oghuma replaces former occupant and current deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu, whose elevation created the vacancy. However, Imagwe and the PDP are to review the outcome. The former presidential aide in the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan told reporters that his party would make its position known in due course.

He, however, promised to uphold the results if reflective of the activities that held on the election day. Meanwhile, PDP officials in Kaduna State yesterday vowed to reject electronic voting in the forthcoming council elections.

The state party chairman, Hassan Hyet, who spoke shortly after the swearing-in ceremony of the Kaduna North ward executives, noted: “If the information we are gathering concerning the anticipated and long over-due local government elections in the state is anything to go by, that is, the introduction of electronic voting for local government polls, we will reject it.”

Also yesterday, the Lagos State chapter of the PDP called on the Chairman of the party’s Governors’ Forum, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to co-opt all state chairmen into an extended forum where key issues could be shared first-hand, especially in states where the party is not in power.

In a statement, the state party chairman, Mr. Moshood Salvador, pledged support for Fayose, urging him to take advantage of his new role in facilitating genuine and lasting mobilisation, reconciliation and structural dynamism within the party.