APC Narrowly wins governor vote in key region

Nigeria’s ruling party narrowly won a key governorship election in southwestern Osun state, officials said on Friday, suggesting the region that helped sweep President Muhammadu Buhari to power will be hotly contested in national polls early next year.

The poll was a re-run after the first vote, held on the weekend, was deemed by the election commission to be inconclusive because the result was within the margin of error when spoiled ballots were factored in to the count.

The vote had been seen as a test of the ruling party’s popularity in the southwest - a region that helped Buhari win the 2015 election. Its backing for Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC), a merger of 4 regional parties, proved to be vital in presidential and gubernatorial races.

The APC candidate, Adegboyega Oyetola, was declared the winner by the electoral commission with 255,505 votes in comparison with 255,023 for the candidate representing the main opposition, the people’s Democratic party (PDP). It meant the ruling party retains control of Osun.