The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secured 30 chairmanship positions in Saturday’s local government council elections in Akwa Ibom, marking a significant victory for the party in the state.
This result was officially announced by Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, the Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission, in a statement that was released in Uyo on Sunday. The announcement confirmed PDP’s dominance in the majority of the local government areas.
In addition to the PDP's triumph, Ikoiwak also revealed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Mr. Usoro Effiong, emerged as the winner in Essien Udim Local Government Council, securing a key chairmanship seat for the opposition party.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the election was conducted across all 31 local government areas and 369 wards in Akwa Ibom State, ensuring widespread participation and competition.
Meanwhile, over in Benue State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) dominated the local government elections held on Saturday, clinching all 23 chairmanship seats in the state’s local government areas.
This resounding victory for the APC was confirmed by Mr. Richard Tombowua, the Chairman of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC), who made the announcement on Sunday in Makurdi, the state capital. The APC's sweep of the elections extended beyond the chairmanships, with the party also winning all 276 councillorship seats in the state.
Tombowua explained that the elections were held across all 5,102 polling units in the state, which spanned 276 council wards in the 23 local government areas, demonstrating the scope of the electoral process in Benue.
According to Tombowua, the results submitted by the 23 local government electoral officers indicated that the APC emerged victorious in all contested positions. He noted that these elections were highly competitive, with five political parties vying for the positions.
“A total of eight political parties were registered to participate in the elections, but in the field, only five parties, including APC, APGA, LP, PDP, and SDP, actively took part,” Tombowua stated, underlining the diversity of political representation in the election.
He further highlighted that there was no local government area in which a candidate ran unopposed, as every chairmanship and councillorship seat across the state was contested. “Each local government election was contested, and the same goes for all ward council seats,” he added, reinforcing the competitive nature of the electoral process in Benue.