BEVERLY HILLS, April 02 (THEWILL) – Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has maintained a clear lead in the state’s governorship contest as collation of results of the poll held on March 9 resumed with the governor winning 13 of the 15 local governments of the state declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
THEWILL recalls that collation of results was suspended by INEC following the takeover of the collation centre in Port Harcourt, the state capital, by soldiers on March 10.
But INEC announced that it would resume the exercise stating that it had results of 17 local governments ready for collation and would hold supplementary election in six other local councils on April 13.
The decision was boosted by the ruling of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja that dismissed a suit filed by the African Action Congress (AAC) seeking to stop INEC from tallying the results of the poll.
From the results released by INEC, Wike, candidate of the PDP, won 13 of the 15 LGAs, polling 426,279 votes ahead of Biokpomabo Awara of the AAC, backed by the APC, who garnered 129,855 votes, leaving a margin of 296,424.
In the results so far collated, the PDP won in Ikwerre Local Government Area, the home of Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, where Governor Nyesom Wike polled 14,938 to beat Awara, who got 5,660 votes.
Wike also won in Port Harcourt, Andoni, Eleme, Opobo/Nkoro, Bonny, Okrika, Omuma, Tai, Ahoada East, Emohua, Etche and Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Areas.
The AAC won in Oyigbo and Akuku-Toru Local Government Areas.
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