The dwindling number of the All Progressives Congress (APC) members in the House of Representatives appreciated as the party’s candidate, Haruna Isah, won the Saturday Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency by-election.
Returning Officer for the election, Rotimi Ajayi, who announced the results on Sunday in Lokoja, said Isah of the APC polled 26,860 votes to defeat Bashir Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 14, 845 votes.
Ajayi also announced that Ahmed Imam of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) scored 2,916 votes while the candidates of the Accord Party and Alternative Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 149 votes and 2,984 votes, respectively.
“The Labour Party scored 90 votes; Democratic Alternative scored 159 votes; while Megga Party of Nigeria scored 50 votes.
“19,960 votes from 17 polling units were cancelled due to violence and other malpractices, 15 of the affected polling units were in Lokoja Local Government Area, two were from Kogi Local Government Area”, Ajayi stated.
In a further breakdown of the election results, the Returning Officer said 51,669 voters were accredited for the election but 50,036 voted.
The by-election was conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the vacancy created by the death of the former occupant of the seat, Umar Jibrin, also of the APC in March.
James Kwen, Abuja
