Gyang Bere, Jos
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, has declared the governorship election in Plateau State inconclusive.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Richard Anande, said the election was declared inconclusive because the difference in votes between the two major contenders, APC and PDP was less than the votes cancelled.
Anande said the incumbent governor and APC candidate, Simon Lalong, polled 583, 255 votes, while his closest contender and candidate of the main opposition PDP, Senator Jeremiah Useni, got 538, 326 votes.
According to him, because the difference between the two major contenders was 44, 929, it was less than the cancelled votes which figure stood at 49, 347 and that was why the result could not be declared.
He said the cancelled votes were in Barkin Ladi (570), Bassa (3,000), Bokkos (5, 314), Jos North (4, 152), Kanam (2, 627), Langtang South (5, 501), Mangu (26, 135), Pankshin (1, 144) and Shendam LGAs (851).