A former Auditor General for Local Governments in Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has emerged as the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Kogi State governorship election.
Ododo, who polled a total of 78,704 votes, won the direct primary election held on Friday, with a wide margin to defeat six other contestants in the governorship race.
He defeated the distant runner-up, Mohammed Ozigi Salami, who got 1,506 votes, while the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Smart Adeyemi, polled the least number of votes – 311.
Patrick Obahiagbon, secretary of the Kogi APC primary election committee, announced on Friday that Ododo scored 78, 704 votes to beat six other contestants.
According to Obahiagbon, out of the 93,729 voters, 83,419 were accredited and took part in the exercise.
“Ododo, having scored the majority of the lawful votes cast at the direct primary election conducted on April 14, 2023, in Kogi, is hereby declared the winner of the APC primary election 2023,” he said.
“Ahmed Usman-Ododo is hereby returned as the duly elected governorship candidate of APC for the November 2023 governorship election.”
Ododo was the former local government auditor-general in Kogi state. He is believed to be the preferred candidate of Yahaya Bello, governor of the state.
Edward Onojo, the deputy governor, and some other aspirants had recently withdrawn from the race after Bello reportedly endorsed Ododo.
Kogi APC had adopted the direct primary election mode to pick its candidate for the gubernatorial election.
Direct primary allows party members to vote for their preferred candidates at the ward level.
