Buhari ahead in Kano, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, 4 others

•Jonathan leads in Ekiti, Enugu, Nasarawa, Benue                 •UN lauds elections

All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari took an early lead yesterday as results of Saturday’s poll trickled in.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officers announced results in some states.

The APC candidate is ahead in Kano, Ogun, Osun, Kogi, Oyo, Borno,   Ondo and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Results in 23 local government areas of Kano State’s 44 were declared last night. All were won by the APC candidate.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is ahead in Nasarawa State. He won in the six of the nine local government areas where results were declared. The APC won in Wamba, Keffi and Awe. PDP won in Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon, Obi, Keana, Kokona and Doma.

Dr. Jonathan won only in Marte, one  of the 16 local government areas where results were declared in Borno State.

Jonathan also won with wide margins in Enugu State where results in three local government areas were released.

In Ekiti State, the PDP candidate won in all the 16 local government areas.

In Ogun State, the APC candidate won in 13 of the 20 local government areas.

A breakdown of the figures showed that in Remo North, APC polled 6,164.  PDP got 9,278. In Ewekoro, APC had 9,626 and PDP polled 3,227. For Obafemi Owode, APC got 15,207 and PDP secured 5,786.

At Imeko Afon, APC polled 7,657 with PDP scoring 12,153. At Ijebu Ode local government, APC polled 14,043 while PDP got 8,962.

For Sagamu, APC got 15,761 and PDP had 17,263. In Odeda Local Government, APC had 11,102 while PDP had 4,456. In Odogbolu, APC had 11,623 and PDP (11,405).

In Ijebu North East, APC won 7,638 and PDP got 6,163.

But, despite the challenge faced by 125,483 registered voters in Abeokuta North in collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), APC dusted PDP with 21,213 votes to 5,742 in an election cast by 29,107 valid voters.

In Ogun Waterside, APC won  7,076 votes  and PDP got 8,063. In Ado-Odo Ota, APC (37,385), PDP (15,252); Abeokuta South APC (35,878), PDP (10,062); Ijebu East APC (9,109) PDP (10,045)

Also, in Egbado South,  APC: 14,169 and PDP: 10,491; Ijebu North, APC:  14,410 and PDP: 20,500;  Ifo, APC: 27,353 and PDP: 8, 645; Egbado North, APC: 16,459 and PDP: 13,408; Ikenne: APC: 8,443 and  PDP: 11,503;  Ipokia  APC:17,974 and PDP: 15,546.

Director – General of Amosun Campaign Organisation(AMCO), Chief Bode Mustapha, hailed the performance of the state chapter of the APC in the concluded presidential and National Assembly polls.

Mustapha, who is also the APC returning Officer in the state, said the party’s performance was quite impressive and served as pointer to what lies ahead in the forthcoming April governorship election.

He ascribed the performance to the performance of the governor in the last 44 months coupled with his robust and energetic campaign around the wards and 20 local governments in the state.

The APC candidate is also leading in Oyo State, with results from 23 out of the 33 local government areas declared. The APC won in 19. Jonathan won in four – Oriire, Ogo Oluwa, Surulere and Itesiwaju.

In Ona-Ara, the local government where PDP governorship candidate Senator Teslim Folarin and Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Jumoke Akinjide hail from, the APC won by over 5,000 votes.

The local governments won by the APC are Atisbo, Saki East, Iwajowa, Oyo West, Ibarapa East, Atiba, Iddo, Oluyole and Kajola.

Others are Afijio, Oorelope, Irepo and Iseyin.

In Ondo State, Gen. Buhari won in eight of the 14 local government areas where results were declared.

He won in Akoko North West,  Ifedore Local Government,   Akure North, Owo, Akoko Southeast, Idanre, Akoko South and Akure South.

Jonathan won in Odigbo, Ese Odo, Ile Oluji/Oke Igbo, Ondo West, Ireleand Ose.

In Benue State, Jonathan ahead in Ogbadibo, Agatu, Ado, Okpokwu, Ohimiri local government areas.

The PDP candidate is slightly ahead in the results of four local government areas of Benue State Zone C declared yesterday. In Ogbadibo, the PDP polled 6937 to APC’s 6257.

In Agatu, PDP got 9,555 votes to APC ‘s 3,627. In Ado Councils the PDP scored 7, 382 to APC’s 2, 328.

It Okpokwu Local Government, PDP got 12,103 as against APC’s 4,757.

PDP also won in Ohimini Local Government, scoring 5909 to APC ‘s 4,734 votes.

All the local governments are in Benue State, where the APC is believed to be weak, its strongholds  being Benue North and Central.

The results from other parts of the state had not been released last night.

In Osun State, with 30 local government areas declared, Gen. Buhari won in 28. PDP won in Ife East and Ife Central local government areas.

In Kogi State, the APC candidate won in six of the nine local government areas so far declared. There are 21 local government areas in the state.

The councils won by the APC are Dekina – where Governor Idris Wada hails from – Ogorimagongo, Adavi, Okehi, Idah, and Mopamoro. The PDP won in YagbaWest, Igalamela/Odolu and Mopa Bassa.

In Sokoto State, the APC candidate swept the polls in the three local government areas announced last night. These are Kware (APC 25,286, PDP 6,918);  Dange/Shuni (APC 31,036, PDP 5,339) and Goronyo (APC 28,950, PDP 7664).

Results from five local government areas in Kaduna State were released yesterday. The APC candidate won in two Soba and Sabon Garin, while the PDP won in Kaura, Jaba and Sanga. The votes as announced by Returning Officer Prof. Ja’afaru Kaura are Soba APC 61656, PDP 1998, Kaura APC 7101, PDP 27502, Sabon Garin APC 71022, PDP 10845. Jaba APC 5342, PDP 18314 and Sanga APC 12817, PDP 22858.

In the FCT, the results from four of the six Area Councils were declared yesterday. The APC candidate won in Abaji, Gwagwalada and Kwali. President Jonathan won in Kuje.