By Peter Omopo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rabiu Garba Aiki, winner of the Zuru State Constituency by-election for the Kebbi State House of Assembly.
The result was announced at the official collation centre by the Returning Officer and Collation Officer, Professor Muhammad Bashar Danladi of the Federal University Birnin Kebbi.
According to Danladi, Aiki secured 4,871 votes to defeat his closest rival, Aliyu Galadima Muhammad of the Labour Party (LP), who polled 168 votes.
The Returning Officer disclosed that the constituency has 109,385 registered voters, while 5,156 voters were accredited to participate in the by-election. He added that 5,055 valid votes and 95 rejected votes were recorded during the exercise.
The ward-by-ward results showed a dominant performance by the APC candidate across all 10 wards in the constituency.
In Tadurga Ward, Aiki polled 226 votes against the LP’s 10 votes, while in Isgogo-Dago Ward, he secured 116 votes compared to one vote for the Labour Party candidate.
The APC candidate garnered 446 votes in Rumu-Dabai-Seme Ward against six votes for the LP and recorded 475 votes in Rikoto Ward, where the Labour Party polled 14 votes.
In Zodi Ward, Aiki secured 257 votes to the LP’s 14 votes, while Bedi Ward produced 830 votes for the APC candidate and 34 votes for the Labour Party.
The APC maintained its lead in Senchi Ward with 659 votes against 16 votes for the LP. In Rafin Zuru Ward, the largest voting ward in the constituency, Aiki polled 1,042 votes, while his opponent secured 63 votes.
The APC candidate also won Chiroman Dabai Ward with 199 votes against one vote for the Labour Party and Manga-Ushe Ward with 637 votes compared to nine votes for the LP.
The by-election was conducted following the vacancy created by the death of the former Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Muhammad Usman Zuru, who represented the constituency before his demise.
With the victory, the APC retains the Zuru State Constituency seat in the Kebbi State House of Assembly.
