BREAKING: Ododo, Ajaka fight over Kogi as Diri, Uzodimma maintain early lead

Fresh data from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showcases initial leads for Governors Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, as the results begin to pour in from the weekend’s gubernatorial elections. Diri, seeking re-election under the People’s Democratic Party in Bayelsa, and Uzodimma, also vying for re-election, representing the All Progressives Congress in Imo, emerged in the early leads as results were collated.

In Kogi, while the results were still being tallied, our correspondents monitoring the election observed a close contest between Usman Ododo of the APC and Muri Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party. Notably, Dino Melaye, the PDP’s candidate, remains a significant contender in the race.

Analyses of some uploaded results on the INEC Result Viewing portal by Chronicle NG complement the on-ground reports. For instance, in Bayelsa State, initial calculations from 131 polling units displayed Diri securing 13,396 votes, positioning him ahead of APC’s Timipre Sylva with 4,802 votes.

In Imo State, calculations from 90 polling units exhibited Uzodinma, representing the APC, leading with 22,113 votes, with candidates from the PDP and Labour Party trailing behind.

Kogi’s election, perceived as a three-way competition, reflected strong showings for APC’s Adodo, SDP’s Ajaka, and PDP’s Melaye across 149 polling units.

By 11:03 p.m., the IReV portal displayed 85.29% of the results from Bayelsa, 90.1% from Imo by 11:18 p.m., and 87.34% from Kogi by 11:20 p.m., indicating substantial progress in result uploads across the three states.