(Updated) It’s Official! Tambuwal is Sokoto Governor-elect

By Onuminya Innocent, Sokoto

The governor of Sokoto State Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has won the Sokoto state governorship election and has been declared the governor-elect.

Tambuwal won by a small margin of 342 votes.

Announcing the result at Maccido Quranic Institute Sokoto, the returning officer Prof Fatima Muktar of Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State said Tambuwal of PDP polled 512,002 to defeat his closest rival Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto of APC who polled 511,660 .

She said Tambuwal having scored the highest number of lawful votes was returned elected.

“PDP candidate, Aminu Tambuwal having scored the highest votes in the election, is hereby declared winner and returned elected according to law” the returning officer said.

INEC had declared the March 9 governorship election in Sokoto inconclusive because the vote difference between Tambuwal and his closest challenger was lower than the number of cancelled votes.

In the March 9 election, Tambuwal scored 489,558 votes while APC’s Aliyu Ahmed scored 486,145 votes, leaving a margin of 3,413 votes. Cancelled votes were 75,403.

A supplementary election was consequently held on Saturday to determine the winner.

Tambuwal polled 22, 444 votes while APC’s Aliyu scored 25, 515 in the 135 polling units where supplementary elections were held on Saturday.

49 other candidates from other participating parties participated in the election.