UPDATED: Sokoto governorship election declared inconclusive

The governorship election held in Sokoto State on Saturday has been declared inconclusive.

Announcing the result of the election around 2:55 Monday morning, Fatima Mukhtar, the INEC returning officer, said the number of valid votes were 987, 942, rejected votes was given as 30,082 while the total vote cast was given 1, 019,024.

Mrs Mukhtar, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, said the number of registered voters was 1,887, 767 while the number of accredited voters was 1, 033,081.

The result showed that the Sokoto state governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Aminu Tambuwal, polled 489,558 votes while Aliyu Ahmad of the All Progressives Congree APC polled 486,145; the PPA polled 1,353 votes.

The margin of win between the two leading parties, APC and PDP, was given as 3, 413.

Similarly, the number of cancelled votes exceeded the margin between both parties. This, the INEC official said, necessitated the need to declare the election inconclusive.

The commission said there were cancellations in 22 LGAs and 136 polling units with accredited voters of 75, 403.

It will conduct a supplementary election as required by law.

“I cannot declare winner in this election and INEC will decide on this later,” Mrs Mukhtar said.