The state's GDP is more than that of Kenya. In fact, Lagos would be the fifth largest economy in Africa if it were a country. Other key battlegrounds are Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Kano and Kwara.<doc-sep>Abia State Okezie Ikpeazu - Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - 261,127 votes Akwa Ibom State Udom Emmanuel (PDP) - 519,712 votes Borno State Babagana Zulum - All Progressives Congress (APC) - 1,175,440 votes Pulse Nigeria Cross River State Ben Ayade (PDP) - 381,484 votes Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa (PDP) - 925,274 votes Ebonyi State Dave Umahi (PDP) - 393,043 votes Enugu State Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (PDP) - 449,935 Gombe State Inuwa Yahaya (APC) - 364,179 votes Pulse Nigeria Imo State Ihedioha Emeka (PDP) - 273,404 Pulse Nigeria Jigawa State Muhammad Badaru (APC) - 810, 933 votes Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai (APC) - 1,045,427 votes Katsina State Aminu Masari (APC) - 1,178,864 votes Kebbi State Atiku Bagudu (APC) - 673,717 votes Kwara State Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (APC) - 331, 546 votes Pulse Nigeria Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu (APC) - 739,445 votes Pulse Nigeria Nasarawa State Abdullahi Sule (APC) - 327,229 votes Pulse Nigeria Niger State Abubakar Bello (APC) - 526,412 votes Ogun State Dapo Abiodun (APC) - 241,670 votes Pulse Nigeria Oyo State Seyi Makinde (PDP) - 515,621 votes Pulse Nigeria Taraba Darius Ishaku (PDP) - 520,433 Yobe State Mai Mala Buni (APC) - 444,013 votes Pulse Nigeria Zamfara State Muktar Idris (APC) - 534,541 votes Pulse Nigeria NOTE: *Due to widespread disruption of elections in Rivers State, INEC has suspended all electoral processes in the oil-rich state until further notice. *Governorship elections in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau, and Sokoto states will not be concluded until after supplementary elections are conducted. INEC has declared the results in all the six states inconclusive because the lead margins were lower than the total number of votes cancelled in certain areas.<doc-sep>YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Counting in the vote to elect the governor of the oil-rich southern Nigerian state of Rivers was suspended on Sunday, the electoral commission said, following violence at polling stations and collation centers. A man raises a ballot paper during the counting of governorship and state assembly election results in Lagos, Nigeria March 9, 2019. REUTERS/Adelaja Temilade Voters went the polls on Saturday to choose governors in 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states, two weeks after a presidential vote in which Muhammadu Buhari won a second term at the helm of Africa’s top oil producer and biggest economy. The governors are among the most influential politicians in Nigeria and many control budgets larger than those of small countries. Rivers is typically keenly contested because it is in the Niger Delta region that produces most of Nigeria’s crude oil, which accounts for two-thirds of government revenue. Voting took place across Rivers on Saturday but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said in a statement that there had been “widespread disruption” in polling units and collation centers. There were no reports of disruption to oil production. “The commission has decided to suspend all electoral processes in the state until further notice,” INEC said in a statement. It said it was concerned about the credibility of the process. Rivers is a stronghold of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP governor, Nyesom Wike, was seeking re-election and Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was banned by a court ruling from fielding a candidate. The British High Commission in Nigeria also expressed concerns about the vote in Rivers in a message on Twitter. “Extremely concerned by reports, including from (British High Commission) observers, of military interference in the election process in Rivers State,” it said in a tweet. It also said in the tweet that Independent National Electoral Commission staff should be allowed to do their job in safety, without intimidation. A military spokesman said in a statement the armed forces were apolitical and non-partisan as a professional institution. In a separate statement, the Nigerian Army said it had received credible intelligence that armed “political thugs” had impersonated soldiers and carried out crimes. Civil society groups on Saturday said turnout in the governor elections was low across Nigeria, in part due to a large military presence intimidating voters and apathy after the presidential election was delayed by a week. Previous governorship elections in Rivers and other parts of Nigeria have been marred by violence, including shootings and the snatching of ballot boxes by armed gangs.<doc-sep>He had been seeking re-election to the senate to represent Kwara Central, but the APC's Ibrahim Oloriegbe clinched the seat, effectively ending the dominance of the "Saraki dynasty" over Kwara's politics for the last 50 years. It is believed that many in the state were fed up with alleged lack of development in the north-western state, leading to the formation of the "O To Ge" movement, meaning "Enough is Enough", which campaigned against him and the other candidates he sponsored and supported, who were all heavily defeated.<doc-sep>
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria’s ruling party took a close lead in elections for powerful state governors on Tuesday, although the final results hang in the balance as seven races were declared inconclusive or suspended. Most of those seven states lean toward the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), whose politicians voiced outrage at the inconclusive results and the suspension of elections in oil-rich Rivers state due to violence. The lead for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after voting last Saturday follows victory for its presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari, who won a second term in office last month, beating PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar. Elections for governors were held in 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states. By early evening on Tuesday, Nigeria’s electoral commission had declared APC candidates the winners in 13 states. Those included important victories in the megacity-state of Lagos and Kaduna, the seat of key Buhari ally Nasir el-Rufai. The main opposition party took nine other states, mostly in the oil heartlands of the Niger Delta in the south and the staunchly anti-Buhari southeast. The electoral commission has declared elections in six other states inconclusive, mostly because the leading candidate’s margin of victory was less than the number of votes canceled. In five of those races, the PDP was ahead. In a statement, a PDP spokesman called on the electoral commission to “immediately announce our winning results in these states and others where our candidates clearly won”. Re-runs are to be held within 21 days of the vote in the states where results were declared inconclusive and at the electoral commission’s discretion in Rivers state where voting was suspended. On Monday, a European Union observer mission said Nigeria’s elections need serious reform, after being marred by violence, systemic failings and low turnout. Turnout for the presidential vote was just 35.6 percent, and was even lower for the gubernatorial elections, according to observers. Around 600 people died in election-related violence from the start of campaigning in November to the end of the presidential election, according to reports by two Nigerian security research groups. The PDP plans to contest the results of the presidential vote, and has asked to inspect voter registers, card reader machines, ballot papers and other documents used on Feb. 23. On March 6, a three-man tribunal granted the request. International observers have not disputed Buhari’s victory, but said the conduct of the election was widely flawed.