Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
There was general laughter when President Muhammadu Buhari asked Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi and his communications counterpart, Adebayo Shittu, to pray at the opening of the Federal Executive Council meeting.
As soon as President Buhari announced the name of Amaechi for the Christian prayer, one of the ministers shouted “no election,” eliciting laughter from the gathered cabinet.
The President, who referred to Adebayo as “minister of communications, Oyo State,” also elicited laughter among the ministers.
Former Vice President of Nigeria and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, won the Presidential election held across the 33 Local Government areas in Oyo State.
Atiku won in the southwestern state with 366,640 to defeat Buhari who scored 365,229 votes.
The APC in Oyo State also lost the governorship poll to the PDP. APC candidate Adebayo Adelabu, backed by the incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi, lost to his PDP counterpart, Seyi Makinde, with a margin of 157,635 votes. While Makinde polled 515,621 votes, Adelabu came second with 357,982 votes.
The PDP presidential candidate also won in Rivers State, scoring 473,971 to defeat Buhari who had 150,710 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had stopped the announcement of results of the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections in Rivers State due to the violence that engulfed the state.