The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Alhaji Babakaka Garbai, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the bye-election for Borno Central Senatorial district.
The election was conducted on Saturday.
INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Fannami, who announced the results in Maiduguri, said that Garbai scored 120, 639 votes against 32,347 votes scored by Alhaji Kaka Bolori of the PDP.
The returning officer added that Alhaji Bukar Muhammed of APGA had 324 votes, while Mallam Babakura Modu of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) had 660 votes.
He said that the total number of registered voters was 908, 114, while the total number of accredited voters was 174, 329.
“The total number of votes cast was 159, 998, the number of valid votes was 155, 443 while the total number of rejected votes was 4, 555,’’ Fannami said.
In his reaction, Garbai described his victory as an `act of God.’
He said: “the people have spoken; the victory is a clear testimony of the fact that the people have confidence in my ability to deliver.
“It is also an indication that the people have confidence in the government of Borno, because the government has been working for them.
“So any candidate presented by the APC in the state will always have the people’s support.
“By God’s grace, we are going to work for the people.
“I intend to pursue an agenda to rehabilitate my people who are badly affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
“Borno Central is the major populated area in the state. Aside from Maiduguri, all the other population centres in the zone have been displaced by Boko Haram and my major task is to work towards rehabilitating them.’’ (NAN) .
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