WITH the announcement of some of the results of the gubernatorial election held on Tuesday in 24 states of the country, there has emerged a new set of governors in some parts of the country, though some of the incumbents still retain their offices.

In Oyo State, Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) defeated the incumbent, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as a former governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, to win the gubernatorial election.

To emerge the winner, Ajimobi had the highest number of votes and also scored 25 per cent of the vote in at least 26 of the 33 local government areas in the state.

According to Professor Femi Bamiro, immediate past vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan, who was also the Returning Officer, Ajimobi polled a total of 420,852 votes, while the PDP had a total of 387,132 votes and the Accord Party 275,773 votes.

I’ll transform Oyo -Ajimobi
Speaking at his residence after he was declared the winner, Senator Ajimobi assured the people of the state of transparency and open door policy. He promised to transform the state for the betterment of the people.

He listed his priority to include quality education, health services, provision of other basic amenities. Senator Ajimobi, who assured civil servants and teachers of good welfare package, said he had no intention of sacking any civil servant.

Rather, he said he would provide employment opportunities for the unemployed people in the state. He commended the chairman of  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, for organising a credible, free and fair election.

He thanked the people of the state, including political leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, the media and the entire people of the state for their contribution for the success of the ACN at the polls.

I’ll react soon -Alao Akala
But while reacting to the declaration of Senator Ajimobi as the winner of the gubernatorial election, Prince Dotun Oyelade, Special Adviser to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the election, Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, simply said; “We are still studying the situation.

“Kindly give us a little while to formally comment.”

In Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the ACN candidate also emerged the governor-elect of the state, defeating Chief Adetunji Olurin of the PDP and Mr Gboyega Isiaka of the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN). Senator Amosun polled a total of 377,487 votes while Olurin and Isiaka had 188,696 and 137,051 votes respectively.

The total number of valid votes cast in the election was put at 729,671, while 34,713 votes were rejected and the total number of votes cast was 764,384.

The candidate of the Labour Party, Chief Olajide Awosedo,  scored a total number of 4,109 votes.

Declaring the result at the INEC headquarters, at Oke-Mosan in Abeokuta, the state capital, the Returning Officer of the election, Professor Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun, said that Amosun, having fulfilled the requirement stipulated by the 2010 Electoral Act of scoring the mandatory 25 per cent of the total votes cast had been duly elected as the governor of the state.

He said: ”The relevant electoral law stipulates that the candidate to be declared must satisfy two conditions. The first condition is 25 per cent of total votes cast in two thirds of the state and the second condition is that he must score the highest number of votes cast.”

I’ll not abuse this opportunity -Amosun
The governor-elect, while speaking with newsmen shortly after the declaration, vowed not to abuse the goodwill enjoyed from the people of the state.

Amosun, who was accompanied to the  INEC office by his wife, Funso; the senator-elect for Ogun East senatorial district, Alhaji Adegbenga Kaka; the state party chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Ola Bello and a number of his supporters, promised to carry the people of the state along in his policies and prog-rammes, irrespective of political differences.

Daniel congratulates Amosun
Meanwhile, Governor Gbenga Daniel has congratulated the governor-elect on his victory, in what he described as an epic gubernatorial contest in Ogun State.

Daniel said Senator Amosun’s victory actualised the yearnings of the people of Ogun State for a change of political platform in the governance of the state.

The outgoing governor, in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Sina Kawonise, also used the opportunity to congratulate candidates of the three parties (ACN, PPN and PDP) that stood for election and won the senatorial, House of Representatives and the House of Assembly seats in the state.

“While wishing all the victors well and a successful tenure, I pray that the Almighty God will grant all those who have won the mandate of our people the right spirit and ability to consolidate on the achievements of the last eight years and take Ogun State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria to greater heights. To those who did not excel in the elections, I say tomorrow is another day,” Daniel said.

He also expressed special gratitude to the people of the state for the support which his administration enjoyed in the last eight years and for the peaceful and orderly manner in which they conducted themselves in all the elections.

The governor commended  INEC for conducting  free, fair and credible elections in Ogun State.

I lost gallantly -Olurin
The PDP gubernatorial candidate, Chief Olurin, also congratulated the governor-elect, admitting that he had fought a good battle and had lost gallantly in his quest to serve the people of the state.

“I congratulate all those who emerged victorious in all the elections held in the state in this year’s general election, particularly Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the candidate of the ACN who has emerged the new governor of the state. As a good sportsman, I bear no grudge against anyone. It is God and He alone, who has control over destiny in life,” he added.

Election results into the state House of Assembly and the rescheduled House of Representatives were yet to be declared by the electoral commission, but there were strong indications that the ACN had won a large number of seats.

It was jubilation galore all over Abeokuta metropolis, as thousands of ACN supporters took to the streets, singing songs of victory, while traffic were at standstill for several hours.

Ogun people have spoken –Isiaka
The gubernatorial candidate of the PPN, Isiaka, also sent a congratulatory message to Senator Amosun.

Isiaka, in a statement personally signed by him and made available to the Nigerian Tribune, said the challenge of moving the state forward brought all contenders into a battle, which, he admitted, that a winner must emerge.

He described the election as one well fought by all candidates, saying that the people of the state had spoken through their votes.

“I sincerely congratulate my brother and governor-elect for his victory. The challenge to move Ogun State forward brought all of us into this battle, a winner must emerge and he has won.

“For me, politics is just a vehicle to serve the people and make society better; it is not a do-or-die affair. The wish of the people must be respected and they have spoken with their votes. I wish Senator Amosun well in the tasking job of making Ogun State greater than he met it,” he said.

Mr Babatunde Fashola, incumbent governor of Lagos State and the candidate of the ACN, had a landslide victory in the gubernatorial election in the state, defeating Dr Ade Dosun-mu of the PDP and other candidates.

According to the result announced by the Returning Officer, Professor Bola Akin-terinwa, Fashola won the election by scoring a total of  I,509,113 votes to beat his closest rival, Dr Dosunmu, who scored 300,450 votes.

In Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the PDP candidate, defeated both Alhaji Dele Belgore of the ACN and Senator Gbemisola Saraki of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), to emerge the governor-elect of the state.

The governor-elect in Akwa Ibom State is Dr Godswill Akpabio of the PDP, who defeated the hard fighting candidate of the ACN, Senator James Akpanudoedehe and others.

In Nasarawa State, the incumbent governor, Aliyu Akwe-Doma of the PDP, was defeated by the Congress for Positive Change (CPC) candidate, Alhaji Umaru Tanko Al-Makura.

The incumbent governor of Niger State, Dr Babangida Aliyu, was returned as the governor-elect, after defeating the candidates of the CPC and ACN in the election.

Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso of the PDP made a surprise return to office as Kano State governor, after defeating the candidates of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), the ACN and the CPC.

Alhaji Saidu Dakingari, the incumbent governor of Kebbi State, Chief Theodore Orji of Abia State, Mr Sullivan Chime of Enugu State and Alhaji  Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State were all returned in their states.

However, the immediate past Accountant-General of the Federation, Ibrahim Hassan Dank-wambo of the PDP, was declared winner of the Gombe State gubernatorial election, after defeating five other contenders

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