The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the deputy governor of Jigawa and APC candidate, Umar Namadi, as the winner of the Jigawa governorship election.

The Returning Officer for the poll, Umar Zaiyan of Federal University Birnin Kebbi, announced the result on Sunday in Dutse.

Mr Zaiyan said Mr Namadi scored 618,449 votes to beat his closest rival, Mustapha Sule Lamido, who polled 368,726 votes.

“I, Prof. Umar Zaiyan, hereby certify that Umar Namadi of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the Law, is declared the winner of the 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 Aminu Ringim of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), who clinched 37,156 votes.

The PDP had earlier called on the returning officer to declare a section of the election 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, Abubakar, declined to endorse it.

He said the returning officer ought to have addressed his complaints before proceeding to perfect the formalities of signing the result sheets, as such he left the collation centre without signing the result.

Mr Namadi, the incumbent deputy governor of Jigawa, who was born on April 7, 1963, obtained a degree in Accountancy and a Masters degree in Business Administration from Bayero University, Kano.

(NAN)