The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defeated the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election conducted in Kano State.
Announcing the results on Sunday, the Returning Officer, Prof. Muhammad Waziri of Bayero University, declared the APC candidate, Garba Gwarmai, winner after polling 31,472 votes.
He said Gwarmai defeated Yusuf Maigado of the NNPP, who scored 27,931 votes.
Prof. Waziri explained that the supplementary election became necessary after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the initial poll in the constituency inconclusive.
According to him, the rerun covered polling units where voting was earlier cancelled or could not hold due to irregularities.
“With a margin of 3,541 votes, Garba Gwarmai of the APC has satisfied the requirement of the law and is hereby returned elected,” the Returning Officer stated.
Reacting to the outcome, jubilant APC supporters described the victory as a consolidation of the party’s strength in Kano politics, while some NNPP faithful vowed to study the results before deciding on the next line of action.
INEC officials said the exercise was generally peaceful, adding that security agencies were deployed to ensure a hitch-free process.
The Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary poll is among several by-elections conducted across the country to conclude inconclusive contests from the last general elections.