Al-Makura beats Maku to Nasarawa governorship

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Umar Tanko Al-Makura, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the April 11 gubernatorial election in Nasarawa state.

The incumbent governor was declared winner of the election at 5am on Monday by Abdulmumuni Hassan Rafindadi, returning officer for Nasarawa.

Al-Makura polled 309,746 votes from 13 local government areas, beating Labaran Maku of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who polled 178, 983 votes. Yusuf Agabi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 119, 782 to place third. There were six other candidates vying for governorship in the state.

APGA, in protest perhaps, did not sign the final result sheet after the announcement of the result.

The April 11 election in the state was largely peaceful with a few incidents of violence.

A voter was reportedly killed at a polling unit in Nasarawa Egon local government area, while electoral officers were assaulted at some polling units in Obi local government area, causing the cancellation of election at the polling units.

Also, in Lafia, election was held in some communities like Adogi and Ashegi, but the returning officers assigned to the communities refused to go to the areas on the grounds that there was crisis there. In protest, the infuriated locals held about 50 corps members and ad hoc staff of INEC hostage for several hours.