Siminaliayi Fubara, the Rivers State governorship candidate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who is generally considered as the most favoured by the incumbent Governor, Nyesom Wike has been declared winner of the March 18 election.
Announcing on Monday night, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, said the PDP candidate polled 302,614 votes to defeat his major rival, Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 95,274 votes.
The Social Democratic Party candidate, Senator Magnus Abe, and Labour Party’s Beatrice Itubo came a distant third and fourth with 46,981 and 22,224 votes, respectively.
Fubara won in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
According to Rim-Rukeh, 496,852 eligible voters were accredited for the March 18 governorship election out of the 3,537,190 registered voters in the state. The Returning Officer explained further that of the 494,604 total votes cast, 483,934 were valid, while 10,670 were rejected ballots.
“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 has the certified per cent spread with a satisfactory margin of lead, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Rim-Rukeh said while announcing the state’s governorship election results.
Meanwhile, there was a protest at the INEC collation centre as agents from the Labour Party (LP) and SDP rejected the outcome of the elections, describing it as a sham and a shame to democracy.
The party agents also called for the cancellation of the entire poll. But the returning officer had since admonished them to note their reservations and channelled them appropriately with evidence.