The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11, 2023 governorship election, Dino Melaye, lost his local government to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Melaye, who is from the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, polled 6,909 votes in the local government while Usman Ododo of the APC scored 10,524 votes.

Melaye had earlier cried out to journalists over what he described as massive rigging of the election.

Collation of results from local governments in the state is still ongoing as of the time of filing this report.

In Kogi, where INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, was present, results from 21 local government areas are being collated. They are Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ankpa, Bassa, Dekina, Ibaji, Idah, Ijumu, Igalamela-Odolu, Kabba/Bunu, Kogi, Lokoja, Mopa-Muro, Olamaboro, Ofu, Okehi, Omala, Ogori/Magongo, Okene, Yagba East and Yagba West.

Some of the top contenders in the November 11, 2023 poll in Kogi include Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Party (ADC); Dino Melaye of the PDP; and Usman Ododo of the APC, who is an ex-Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi under Governor Yahaya Bello who is completing his double terms of eight years.

Melaye had on Saturday, raised the alarm over “filled result sheets” in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the North Central state. The PDP candidate also called for the suspension of the exercise over violence and vote buying. INEC subsequently suspended election in nine wards in the local government area.

Like Kogi, governorship elections were held in Bayelsa State and Imo State on Saturday with Governor Hope Uzodimma of the APC defeating Samuel Anyanwu of the PDP, Labour Party (LP)’s Nneji Achonu, and 15 other opponents. Uzodimma polled 540, 308 votes to defeat his closest rivals, PDP’s Anyanwu, who scored 71,503 votes and LP’s Achonu who got 64,081.