COVER
APC Takes Lead in Governorship Polls, Wins Eight States
From Alfred Babs (Ilorin), Kunle Idowu (Abeokuta), Dan Amasingha, Minna
Some of the governorship election results from last Saturday’s polls were announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday, with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) winning six of the states, while the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) claiming two of the sight states announced yesterday.
In Kwara State, the incumbent Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq was declared the winner of the 2023 governorship election in the state.
Governor Abdulrazaq, who is of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won in all the 16 local government areas of the state in the election results declared by the INEC Returning officer for the polls, Professor Isaac Itodo, Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue state.
The INEC had on Saturday night started announcement of the 2023 governorship election results with only that of three local government areas with the governor clearing the three local government areas of Ekiti, Isin and Offa local government areas.
At the resumed announcement of the election results on Sunday morning, which lasted till evening the APC governor also won in additional 13 local government areas.
Our correspondent, Kunle Idowu reported that Governor Dapo Abiodun of APC was also declared winner of Saturday’s governorship election in Ogun State, defeating Mr Oladipupo Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to retain his seat.
The state Returning Officer for the Governorship poll, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, made the declaration yesterday in Abeokuta at about 6.17 p.m, saying that Abiodun scored 276, 298 votes to win the election.
“That Abiodun Adedapo Oluseun of APC, having satisfied with the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and he is returned elected,” Adebowale, who is also Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, declared.
He explained that Abiodun defeated his closest rival, Adebutu, who scored 262, 382 votes.
Adebowale said that candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Biyi Otegbeye, came third with 94, 754 votes.
A breakdown of the results on local government basis, as announced by the local government Collation Officers, showed that Abiodun won in 12 council areas, while Adebutu won in eight out of the 20 local governments in the state.
Abiodun won in Ijebu-Ode; Odeda; Egbado North; Egbado South; Ewekoro; Ijebu North; Abeokuta North and Ipokia.
Others were: Imeko Afon, Ado Odo-Ota, Obafemi Owode and Ifo, while Adebutu won in Sagamu; Abeokuta South; Odogbolu; Ikenne; Ijebu North East; Ijebu East; Ogun Waterside and Remo North.
According to Adebowale, the registered voters were 2 ,688,305, while accredited voters were 666, 406.
He said the numbers of valid votes were 645, 133, while 18,835 votes were rejected, adding that the votes cast were 663, 968.
In Oyo State, one of the G5 governors, Seyi Makinde, who took up arms against the PDP leadership, won the gubernatorial election for a second term.
The election was conducted in all the 33 local government areas of the state on Saturday.
Makinde, one of the G5 Governors, who contested on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been declared the winner of the election.
The returning officer in the state, Professor Adebayo Bamire, who announced the result of the election, declared that Makinde, who is seeking another term in office defeated all other candidates to win the election.
Bamire, the Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, said that Makinde scored a total of 563,756 votes to defeat all other candidates.
Bamire while speaking announced that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin scored 256,685 votes.
The Accord candidate, Adebayo Adelabu scored a total of 38,357 votes.
In Akwa Ibom State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the governorship election.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Emmanuel Adigio, Vice Chancellor, Nigerian Maritime University, Delta, announced the results yesterday in Uyo.
Adigio said Eno won in 29 out of 31 Local Government Areas of the state to defeat Sen. Bassey Akpan of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
He said that the PDP candidate scored 354,348 votes, beating closet rival, of Young Progressive Party (YPP), who got 136,262 votes.
He also said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 129,602 votes while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) got 12,509 votes while Labour Party (LP) scored 4,746 votes.
Also yesterday, the APC candidate in Katsina State, Dikko Umar Radda was declared winner of the Saturday governorship poll.
Dikko, a former director of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, polled 859,892 votes to beat Garba Yakubu Lado of PDP, who scored 486,620 votes.
Prof. Ma’azu Abubakar Gusau, Returning Officer for Katsina governorship poll, however, is yet to officially announce the result.
Incumbent Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya was yesterday declared the winner of the governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Maimuna Waziri, the Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Gashua, Yobe declared the result in Gombe yesterday.
Waziri said that Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 342, 821 votes to defeat his closest rival Mr Jibrin Barde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 233, 131 votes.
She said that Khamisu Mailantarki of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) polled 19,861 votes while Keftin Amuga of Labour Party polled 1,753.
Waziri said that the number of registered voters was 1,575,794, while 618,231 voters were accredited adding that the number of valid votes was 605,355, while 11,390 votes were rejected and 616,745 total votes cast.
Yahaya won in nine out of the 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state, while the difference between APC and PDP scores was 109,690 votes.
In Jigawa State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Malam Umar Namadi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the Jigawa governorship election.
The Returning Officer for the poll, Prof. Umar Zaiyan of Federal University Birnin Kebbi, announced the result yesterday in Dutse.
Zaiyan said that Namadi scored 618,449 votes to beat his closest rival, Mr Mustapha Sule Lamido who polled 368,726 votes.
He said: “I Prof. Umar Zaiyan hereby certify that Umar Namadi of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the Law is declared the winner of Jigawa governorship election.”
According to him, 1.07 million voters were accredited in the March 18 election with 1.05 million votes cast, out of which 1.03 million votes were the total valid votes cast at the exercise.
The 60-year-old politician and chartered accountant also defeated Malam Aminu Ringim of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) who clinched 37,156 votes.
The PDP had earlier called on the returning officer to declare a section of the election as inconclusive.
When the party agents were called in by Zaiyan to sign the result sheets containing the scores of each candidate in the governorship contest, the PDP’s agent, Malam Abubakar, declined to endorse it.
He said that the returning officer ought to had address his complaints before proceeding to perfect the formalities of signing the result sheets, as such he left the collation centre without signing the result.
Namadi, the incumbent deputy governor of Jigawa, who represents was born on April 7, 1963, obtained degree in Accountancy and Masters degree in Business Administration from Bayero University, Kano.
The governor-elect had served in various capacities both in public and private sectors.
Niger PDP Guber Candidate Concedes Defeat as APC Leads in Nine LGAs
The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger State, Alhaji Isah Liman Kantigi has called to congratulate his counterpart from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Umar Mohammed Bago before the final announcement.
As at the time of filling this report, 14 local government election results were being awaited after break.
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Hon Muhammed Umar Bago was leading, having won nine out of the 11 local government areas so far declared yesterday, while his main challenger, Isah Liman Kantigi of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won two.
DAILY ASSET Correspondent, who monitored the announcement of results at governorship collation centre at INEC Office along David Mark Road Minna, observed that so far the exercise is peaceful.
Both candidates, the APC candidate, Umar Bago and Isah Liman Kantigi won their respective local government areas of Bida and Edati.
From the result announced so far, the All progressive congress party won in Tafa, Gurara, Paikoro , Bosso, Suleja , Katcha, Bida, Chanchaga (Minna)and Lapai local government Areas.
The PDP candidate on his part won his home council, Edati and Munya Local Government Area.
The All progressive congress party Governorship Candidate is leading his main opponent with 29, 352 votes from the results collated from the eleven local government Areas result declared so far with fourteen more councils to go.
From the results announced, the APC Governorship Candidate recorded 216, 660 votes as against the PDP Candidate who got 187, 308 votes from the councils declared.
APC Wins Eight of 10 LGAs in Ebonyi
The All Progressives Congress (APC) won eight out of the 10 local government areas (LGAs) of Ebonyi state so far announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday.
The local government areas are: Ebonyi, Ivo, Ezza North, Izzi, Afikpo South, Ohaozara, Ohaukwu and Abakaliki.
Ebonyi has a total of 13 local government areas.
The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won in one each, Ezza South and Onicha respectively.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs Onyeka Ugochi, announced that the remaining LGAs of Ikwo, Afikpo North and Ishielu would be announced as soon as the results are ready.
The major contenders in the governorship race are: Francis Nwifuru, APC, Dr IfeanyiChukwuma Odii, PDP, and Bernard Odo of the APGA.
Sanwo-Olu in Early Lead as INEC Announces Results of 19 LGAs in Lagos
The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the APC gubernatorial candidate, is currently leading 15 other candidates in the Governorship Election held on Saturday in the state.
The state collation of results of the gubernatorial poll is ongoing at the INEC Media Centre, located within the premises of the state headquarters of the commission.
The exercise, which started at 12 noon yesterday with the arrival of results from 19 out of the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state, is being monitored by representatives of political parties, domestic and foreign observers, media and other stakeholders under the watch of security agencies.
As at 2.40 pm, results from 19 LGAs have been announced by the respective INEC Local Government Collation Officers one after the order.
The results of LGAs so far released are Lagos Island, Apapa, Epe, Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Ikeja, Mushin, Surelere, Ibeju-Lekki, Ifako-Ijaiye, Badagry, Lagos Mainland, Alimosho, Ojo, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Somolu, Amuwo-Odofin
In the 19 LGAs announced so far, APC’s Sanwo-Olu is leading while the candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is coming second.
The Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran, is in a distant third position.
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN) has launched DAWN: DBN Action for Women in Nigeria, unveiled its Impact Report and presented MSME Data Assets at the seventh edition of Annual Lecture held in Abuja.
DBN, in a statement on Thursday, said while delivering a welcome address, its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tony Okpanachi, said the central challenge was no longer reforms themselves but ensuring benefits reach businesses at end of the chain.
He asked how to make sure benefits reach traders in Onitsha, fabricator in Aba, farmer in Kebbi and young founder in Yaba, noting that MSMEs accounted for about half of Nigeria’s GDP and more than eight in every ten jobs, adding that when reform works for MSMEs it works for most Nigerians.
He explained that reform becomes prosperity only when entrepreneurs can act on it whether through long tenor loans to buy equipment, banks willing to take risk or skills and records needed to grow.
He said working through Participating Financial Institutions DBN provides longer term funding, partial credit guarantees through subsidiary Impact Credit Guarantee Limited and capacity building including Entrepreneurship Training Programme.
He disclosed that as at December 2025 DBN had disbursed a cumulative N1.4 trillion to MSMEs through 84 Participating Financial Institutions creating about 1.6 million jobs nationwide.
Under the new five year strategy, the Bank aims to reach more than two million MSMEs with deliberate targets for women led businesses, youth led businesses and underserved states.
On DAWN, Okpanachi said finance alone had not enabled enough women-led businesses to scale.
He said initiative brings together financing, guarantees and credit support, technical assistance, outcome linked grants and market linkages delivered through banks, microfinance institutions, fintechs, aggregators, cooperatives and direct channels.
Its priority sectors are agriculture and exports, healthcare, arts and creatives, technology and green business.
He said DAWN is about moving gender focused lending beyond intention and turning access into opportunity.
On the sidelines of the lecture DBN and African Development Bank held a signing ceremony of AfDB DBN 61 million United States dollars Gender Line of Credit development that reinforces Bank commitment to women led enterprises.
Okpanachi urged Participating Financial Institutions to extend lending into sectors and states where access to finance has been limited, policymakers and regulators to measure reform by what changes for business at end of chain and MSMEs to formalise, keep good records and use support now available.
The Vice President as Special Guest of Honour was represented by Dr Fred Iklaga Senior Technical Adviser in the Office of Special Adviser to the President on Economy.
Keynote speakers were Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr Karl Toriola, and Chairman of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Dr Segun Ogunsanya.
Fireside chat featured Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank Abubakar Suleiman, manufacturing and trade entrepreneur Mrs Omoyemi Chukwurah and by video Kola Masha of Babban Gona.
The Secretary to the Government of Federation, represented by Augusta Warren Bekaredebo, said 2026 tax reforms would bring relief to many small businesses expressing optimism that a lot of businesses will be smiling by next year because they will be exempted from tax.
By Tambaya Julius, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened possible nationwide industrial action following the failure of talks with the Federal Government over workers’ welfare, petrol prices and other outstanding labour demands.
The warning came after a meeting between the government and organised labour at the Ministry of Labour in Abuja on Thursday, October 22, ended without an agreement.
The congress has given the Federal Government until Tuesday, October 27, to make meaningful progress on the issues, warning that its relevant organs would decide the next line of action if the next meeting fails to produce concrete commitments.
The NLC has also directed its affiliates, state councils and civil society allies to begin mobilising members for possible nationwide action.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the NLC Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, expressed disappointment over what he described as the government delegation’s lack of preparedness for the negotiations.
According to the congress, organised labour presented its demands in good faith but left the meeting without any concrete commitments from the government.
The demands include a reduction in petrol prices to 2024 levels, renegotiation of the national minimum wage, implementation of agreed tax relief measures and resolution of the terms of settlement involving the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
The congress also called for the resolution of issues raised by the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) over peculiar allowances, wage awards and hazard allowances.
The NLC said the government delegation lacked the necessary authority to engage meaningfully on the issues presented by labour representatives.
“The meeting between the Federal Government and organised labour, convened at the Ministry of Labour in Abuja on 22nd October 2026, has ended without resolution,” the statement said.
It added that the Minister of Labour requested that the meeting be adjourned until October 27 to allow the government to prepare adequately for further discussions.
The preparations, according to the statement, would include bringing relevant ministers and heads of departments and agencies to the negotiating table.
The congress said it remained open to dialogue but would not accept continued delays in addressing workers’ concerns.
“We will report back to our organs, and if no meaningful progress is made on Tuesday, the relevant organs of the NLC will decide the next line of action,” it said.
The labour body urged workers and members of the public to remain calm while the negotiations continue, even as it directed its affiliates and allies to prepare for possible industrial action.
“However, we urge all affiliates of NLC and TUC; all state councils and our civil society allies to be alert and start mobilising for a possible action across the nation while we hope that the tenets of our demands are met by the government,” the statement added.
The October 27 meeting is expected to provide another opportunity for both sides to address the outstanding issues and prevent a possible escalation of the dispute.
However, the NLC’s decision to begin mobilisation suggests that tensions could rise if the next round of talks fails to produce meaningful progress.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has barred its personnel from escorting politicians during campaigns for the 2027 general elections.
Zonal Commanding Officer, RS6, ACM Abimbola Owolabi, gave the directive during her maiden visit to the Cross River Command in Calabar on Wednesday.
Owolabi said patrol vehicles and sirens must not be used for political activities or private engagements, including weddings and funeral processions.
She directed officers deployed to campaign venues to focus exclusively on traffic management to prevent congestion and road crashes.
The zonal head warned personnel against leading political convoys or providing escorts for politicians, stressing that official vehicles must not be used for unauthorised purposes.
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