Lagos state incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, easily won re-election in low turn-out local voting, figures showed on Sunday, this marked a stunning victory for Nigeria’s ruling party, APC, just weeks after the party lost to the state to the opposition Labour party in a disputed presidential election.
Sanwo-Olu cleared 19 out of 20 Local Government Areas, while his opponent, Rhodes-Vivour, won in only one LG, Amuwo-Odofin.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Sanwo-Olus All Progressive Congress had over 762,134 votes, compared to just 312,329 for his closest rival, the Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. Olajide Adeniran aka Jandoor of the Peoples Democratic Party polled 62,449 votes.
The stakes for the control of Lagos has never been this high. Lagos, the economic nerve center of Nigeria, is the fourth wealthiest city in Africa with a total private wealth of $97 billion behind Johannesburg, Capetown and Cairo respectively, according Africa Wealth Report 2022, released by Henley & Partners, in partnership with new World Health.
The city was stunned when the main opposition labour party candidate Peter Obi polled the highest votes in the state during last month’s disputed presidential election, which was won overall by Bola Tinubu of the APC.
The declaration was made in the early hours of Monday, March 20, by the Returning Officer of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State, Professor Adenike Oladeji.
The total number of registered voters in the state is 7,060,195, but the number of accredited voters for the poll was 1,182,620.
While announcing the result of the election, Oladeji who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, said, “I hereby declare that Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, having satisfied the requirements of the law by having 25 per cent of the total of the LGAs of the states and also having the highest number of votes cast and meeting the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner.”
The low turnout was just a mere fraction of the 7 million registered voters in Africa’s largest megacity, which has a population of over 20 million people.
Some officials from the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) who presented results in Lagos on Sunday reported some instances of ballot boxes being snatched by thugs, but said this was not widespread enough to influence the outcome of the vote.
Governors wield wide influence in Africa’s most populous nation and their support can help decide who becomes president.
The opposition Labour Party rejected the results.
More to follow.
