INEC declares APC’s Zulum winner of Borno governorship election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Babagana Zulum, winner of the governorship election in Borno.

Declaring the result, the INEC Returning Officer in the state, Prof. Alhassan Gani, said Zulum polled 1,175, 440 votes to beat his closest opponent, Muhammad Imam, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 66, 115 votes.

Gani announced that INEC had registered 2,316,218 voters in the state, out of which 1,292,138 voters were accredited for the election.

He disclosed that a total of 1,289,027 votes were cast, out of which the APC polled 1,175,440 votes and PDP scored 66,115 votes.

The returning officer added that a total of 1,266,967 valid votes and 22,060 rejected votes were recorded in the election contested by 32 candidates.

According to him, the APC candidate polled the highest votes cast in the 27 local government areas and fulfilled the requirements of the law.

“Babagana Zulum, the governorship candidate of the APC, having scored the highest number of votes and fulfilled the requirements of the law, is hereby returned elected,” he said.

Gani commended the electorate, stakeholders, party agents, observers and security personnel for the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

Meanwhile, Alhaji Muhammad Makintami, the agent of the APC and other agents of political parties accepted the results and signed the document on behalf of their parties.

However, the agent of the PDP refused to sign the result document on behalf of the party after the collation exercise.

The PDP governorship candidate, Muhammad Imam, had earlier petitioned INEC over alleged irregularities in the election.