The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the March 9 governorship election in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike, has won a second term in office.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Wike winner in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, at the end of a long drawn collation exercise on Wednesday.
Wike was in clear lead when the collation resumed Wednesday afternoon in Port Harcourt.
The State Returning Officer, Prof. Teddy Adias, declared that Wike polled 886,264 to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Biokpomabo Awara, who won 173,859 votes.
Awara was backed by the faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC, loyal to Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had, on March 10, suspended the collation of the results of the election in the state, citing electoral violence.
The electoral umpire also announced a schedule of activities for the resumption of the exercise, with collation and announcement of results slated to hold between April 2 and April 5.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that results from 19, out of the 23 Local Government Areas have so far been announced, with Wike leading in 17 local government areas.
The PDP candidate won in Port Harcourt, Ikwere, Andoni, Eleme, Opobo -Nkoro, Bonny, Okirika, Omuma, Tai, Ahoada East, Emoha, Etche, Ogba/Egbema and Onelga local governments.
The party also won in Ogugbolo, Obio-Akpor, Asari-Toru, and Degema, scoring a total of 586,721 votes.
The candidate of the African Alliance Congress, Biokpomabo Awara, clinched victory in Akuku-Toru and Oyibo local governments, polling a total of 139,211 votes.
Results from two local governments – Gokana and Ahoada West – are yet to be collated, while election was not held in Abua/Uduah and Kana local governments.
Prof. Teddy Adias, INEC State Returning Officer, who is the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Otueke, adjourned the collation at noon on Wednesday, and said that it would resume by 3:00pm.
