The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the winner of the Benue State governorship election held on March 18, 2023.
Alia, who is a Catholic priest, won with 473,933 votes, defeating his closest rival and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Titus Uba, who scored 223,913 votes.
The returning officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Faruq Kuta, declared Alia the winner on Monday, March 20, 2023. Alia’s victory means he will take over from Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP, who has been in office since 2015.
Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia’s victory in the Benue State governorship election is historic as he becomes the first Catholic priest to win a gubernatorial election in Nigeria. This groundbreaking feat is expected to inspire other religious leaders to run for political office in the future.
With the announcement of the Benue State governorship election result, the total number of states won by the APC has increased to 14, while the PDP has won five states and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has won one state. The election in Kebbi was declared inconclusive by INEC, while the collation of the results of governorship polls in Abia and Enugu was suspended.
So far, nine of the 11 governors who sought re-election in the March 18 polls have been declared winners by INEC. They include Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State. Of the 28 states, 11 serving governors sought re-election, while 17 outgoing governors are in the final weeks of their constitutional two-term limits of eight years, having been sworn in on May 29, 2015.
