2023 Governorship Election: INEC Declares Winner of Rivers State
The Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Siminaliayi Fubara, has been declared the victor of the state’s governorship poll held on Saturday.
This online news source is aware that on Monday, March 20, 2023, at around 9 p.m., the Independent National Electoral Commission named Fabura the election’s victor. In all 23 of the state’s Local Government Areas, the PDP’s flagbearer prevailed.
According to Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, the INEC Returning Officer, the PDP candidate received 302,614 ballots to defeat Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress, who received 95,274 votes.
Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party and Beatrice Itubo of the Labour Party received only 46,981 and 22,224 ballots, respectively, to finish far behind them in third and fourth place.
Rim-Rukeh 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.
He said, “I, Professor Akpofura Rim-rukehm Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Petroleum Resources hereby declare the results of the 2023 governorship election held on the 18th of March, 2023.
“That Fubara Siminialayi of the PDP having scored the highest votes and having the certified percent spread with a satisfactory margin of lead, having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
The announcement was not without controversy as party representatives from the Labour Party and SDP denounced the election results, calling them a sham and a disgrace to democracy.
They demanded that the entire election be canceled. However, the returning officer had previously instructed them to note their concerns and directed them appropriately with evidence
