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| Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR |
One of the greatest electoral miracles in Nigeria might have occurred on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at the supplementary election that took place in Kano to finally conclude the formerly inconclusive Gubernatorial election 2019 in Kano.
As at the time that the election was declared as inconclusive the opponent from the opposition party the PDP, by name Eng. Abba Kabir Yusuf was leading and coasting home to victory having polled 1,014,474 votes against the incumbent who had only managed 987,819 votes. So with the number of canceled votes far more than the margin of victory a rerun election in 28 LGAs was called for. Amidst so much tension and fear, the supplementary election finally held on Saturday.
At the end of it, Alhaji Ganduje the incumbent who carried the APC flag is said to have gotten 45,876 votes against Abba K. Yusuf's 10,239 votes, which is quite astonishing! From the records of INEC as stated by the returning officer, there were 131,073 registered voters in that 28 LGAs where the rerun occurred. Out of the number, only 57777 were accreditated, out of this number only 56407 were the total valid votes, with 1100 votes rejected. So total votes casted was 57507.
With the addition of the rerun votes to the former total votes casted, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje got a total votes of 1,033,695 against Abba Kabir Yusuf's 1,024,713 votes meaning APC's Ganduje got victory from the Jaws of defeat with a margin of 8,982 votes in all.
In saner climes how Alhaji Dr. Umar Ganduje, the incumbent, won a 2nd term by snatching victory from the jaws of starring defeat would have become a research project or topic to analyze and evaluate. The fact that the Governor was already behind by a good deficit, which he was able to offset so gallantly and then still went on to win by a good margin was totally outstanding. Many had predicted somewhat jokingly, that Governor Ganduje's in-law, in the person of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State who had lost all the elections in his own state, including the one he ran for himself, might have infested him with the defeating virus, but alas, he was able to find a solution to what had starred him in the face and came out tops at the end of the day.
If Ganduje had lost the election, one of the immediate issues he might have had to face would have been that nuisance bribery scandal that has refused to be swept under the carpet. In fact, it seems like it is one of the factors that nearly made him lose the election. It might not yet by uhuru though for the re-elected Governor as he might yet still face the Osun State's experience where the rerun election that swept in Governor Gboyega Oyetola was declared as illegal, null and void and therefore his opponent who had had more votes prior to the rerun, same like it was in Kano was now declared the Governor! Can thunder strike twice? We are waiting with bated breathe to see,
As it, the PDP are disputing the so called victory of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
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