LOKOJA, Nigeria – Usman Ododo, a former Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi State, has emerged as the winner of the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship primary in Kogi State.
The primary election was conducted via a direct mode of election in the 239 wards across the state’s 21 local government areas.
Ododo secured a resounding victory with 78,704 votes, defeating six other contenders in the race. Days before the primary, incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello had endorsed Ododo as his preferred candidate.
Patrick Obahiagbon, the Secretary of the National APC Governorship Primary Committee, announced the election results on Friday, April 14, 2023, at the State Secretariat of the APC. According to Obahiagbon, there were 93,729 registered voters, with 83,419 accredited to participate in the primary.
In the final vote tally, Shaibu Audu received 763 votes, former Minister of State Stephen Ochen polled 552, and former Executive Director of the Rural Electrification Agency Sanusi Ohiare secured 424 votes, and current Senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Smart Adeyemi, earned 311 votes. Abubakar Achimugu received 1,159 votes, and Salami Ozigi garnered 1,506 votes.
Declaring Ododo the winner, Obahiagbon stated, “By the power conferred on the committee by virtue of Article 19 of the APC guidelines for the nomination of candidates for general election 2003, I Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, Secretary of Election Committee Kogi State, on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee, Governor Bello Matawale of Zamfara State, hereby declare that Ahmed Usman Ododo, having scored the majority of lawful votes cast at the direct primary election conducted on the 14th day of April 2023 in Kogi State, is hereby declared as the winner of the APC Kogi state primary election.”
With this victory, Usman Ododo is now the official APC candidate for the November 2023 governorship election in Kogi State.
