Engineer Musa Wada has been declared winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election.
The Chairman of the governorship primary election committee, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, told newsmen on Wednesday in Lokoja that Wada emerged by polling 748 votes to beat 12 other aspirants.
Fintiri, who is the Governor of Adamawa, also disclosed that another aspirant, Abubakar Ibrahim, polled 710 votes to come second, while former Gov. Idris Wada came third with 345.
Other aspirants and their scores as announced by Fintiri were Sen. Dino Melaye, 70 votes, Aminu Abubakar Suleiman, 55, Victor Adoji, 54, Erico Ameh, 42, AVM Salihu Atawodi (rtd), 11, Mohamed Shaibu, 4, Bayo Averehi, 2, Emmanuel Omebije, 9 and Mrs Grace Adejoh polled 0.
The committee chairman said that he decided to announce the results, having been satisfied that the conduct of the primaries had complied substantially with the provisions of the party’s constitution.
“We have performed well and we should be commended by all the aspirants,” the governor said.
He said that 2,388 delegates were accredited for the election while 2,109 votes were cast. He also said that 54 voided votes were recorded, with 244 unused ballots, while 247 ballot papers could not be accounted for.
Fintiri also said that the 247 missing ballot papers could be as a result of the invasion of the venue of the primary by yet-to-be-identified gunmen, saying that the number was not enough to damage the integrity of the exercise.
He added that any aggrieved aspirant was free to lodge appeal with the national secretariat of the party.
Wada, who was declared winner, appealed to other contestants to accept the result in good faith and in the interest of the party, promising to carry them along in all the processes leading to the real election.
