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PDP takes Zamfara as Dauda Lawal unseats Matawalle; Sanwo-Olu approves 20% salary increase for Lagos civil servants | 5 Things That Should Matter Today

  • PDP takes Zamfara as Dauda Lawal unseats Matawalle
  • Sanwo-Olu approves 20% salary increase for Lagos civil servants
  • Siminialayi Fubara declared Rivers Governor-Elect
  • INEC declares APC’s Uba Sani winner Of Kaduna Governorship Election
  • PDP’s Kefas Agbu declared winner of Taraba governorship poll

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss:

PDP takes Zamfara as Dauda Lawal unseats Matawalle

In a stunning upset, Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has defeated the incumbent governor, Bello Matawalle, in the Zamfara governorship election. This victory makes Lawal the first governorship candidate to unseat an incumbent in the 2023 elections.

After Lawal obtained 377,726 votes and Matawalle secured 311,976 votes, the returning officer, Kassimu Shehu, declared Lawal as the winner in the early hours of Tuesday. “That Lawal Dauda of political party PDP, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the election,” Shehu announced.

This upset marks the PDP’s takeover of Zamfara. In addition to Matawalle’s defeat, Nasiru Magarya, the speaker of the Zamfara House of Assembly and an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, lost his reelection bid to Ismail Bilyaminu, the PDP candidate representing Zurmi West constituency. Similarly, Musa Yankuzo, the deputy speaker of the state assembly and an APC candidate, lost his reelection bid to Bello Maza-wajem of the PDP.

The Zamfara election outcome is a significant win for the PDP and a blow to the APC. The PDP’s victory in Zamfara is part of a trend in which the party has gained ground in the northern region of Nigeria, historically an APC stronghold. The APC’s loss in Zamfara is particularly notable because the party had only recently gained control of the state.

Sanwo-Olu approves 20% salary increase for Lagos civil servants

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state has approved a 20 percent salary increase for civil servants in the state, according to a statement from his spokesperson, Gbenga Akosile. The salary review will affect workers in the mainstream public service, local government areas, local council development areas, and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and it will be backdated to January 1, 2023.

The announcement comes after Sanwo-Olu’s reelection as governor for a second term, having won the Lagos gubernatorial election held on March 18, 2023. Sanwo-Olu emerged as the winner with 762,134 votes, while the Labour Party (LP) came second with 312,329 votes, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came in third with 62,449 votes.

However, there were reports of electoral violence and voter suppression in some parts of Lagos during the election. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the LP candidate, alleged that there was collusion between the ruling party and electoral officials during the poll, and that the outcome does not represent the wishes of the majority of peaceful Lagosians.

The approval of the salary increase is a positive development for civil servants in Lagos state, who have been grappling with inflation and other economic challenges. The increment is expected to boost their morale and improve their standard of living.

Siminialayi Fubara declared Rivers Governor-Elect

Siminialayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been declared the winner of the Rivers State governorship election.

State Returning Officer, Professor Akpofure Rim-Rukeh announced the result late Monday night at the end of the two days collation at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Head Office in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The PDP candidate polled 302,614 votes to defeat his closet rival Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 95,274 votes while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Senator Magnus Abe, and Labour Party (LP)’s, Beatrice Itubo came a distant third and fourth with 46,981 and 22,224 votes respectively.

Professor Akpofure Rim-Rukeh who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources said a total of 496,852 were accredited for the March 18 governorship election out of the 3,537,190 registered voters in the State.

He explained that of the 494,604 total votes cast, 483,934 were valid while 10, 670 were rejected votes.

Aside from the PDP, party agents at the State Collation Centre rejected the results, saying the figures were allegedly allocated.

Fubara was anointed by the incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike who is in the last weeks of his two-term of eight years.

Already, there is jubilation at the Rivers State Govt House following the declaration.

INEC declares APC’s Uba Sani winner Of Kaduna Governorship Election

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Senator Uba Sani was on Monday declared the winner of the 2023 governorship election in Kaduna State.

He was declared the winner by the Returning Officer for Kaduna State and Vice Chancellor of the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, Professor Lawal Suleiman Bilbis.

Sani polled a total of 730,002 votes to defeat his closest rival, Isa Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 719,196 votes.

The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Jonathan Asake, came a distant third after polling 58,283 votes while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Suleiman Hunkuyi scored 21,405 votes.

Before the winner was declared, the Kaduna State PDP Collation Agent, Danjuma Sarki, objected to the results, claiming the number of votes gotten from its situation room was 713,157 while the APC had 709,561.

He argued that the collation did not follow the Electoral Act 2022 and asked INEC to refer to the results uploaded on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

But the returning officer objected, saying the results announced were based on the collation done which was not objected to by party agents.

The PDP agent, therefore, refused to sign the final results sheets, describing the exercise as marred by irregularities.

PDP’s Kefas Agbu declared winner of Taraba governorship poll

Kefas Agbu, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been declared the winner of the Taraba state governorship election.

Agbu, a former PDP chairman in Taraba state, was declared winner around 12:30 am on Tuesday, Channels Television reports.

M.A Abdulazeez, the returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said Agbu polled 257,926 votes to win the election.

Muhammad Yahaya, the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), was his closest challenger with 202,277 votes.

Emmanuel Bwacha, the All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer, had 142,502 votes to secure third place.

Courtesy of his victory, Kefas Agbu will succeed Darius Dickson Ishaku, the outgoing governor of Taraba state, on May 29.

The Taraba governor-elect is a retired army colonel.

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