Governorship polls: early results expected

Nigerians may not wait for long before knowing the winners of Tuesday’s governorship and state assembly polls.

There was a general low turn-out of voters; while the election took place in only twenty-four of the country’s thirty-six states.

With this development, the final results may be released by INEC within twenty-four hours of the conclusion of voting.

The outcome of the elections is also expected to bring mixed fortunes for the ruling parties in the states and opposition parties seeking to displace them. There could be some upsets.

To be elected a state governor, a candidate must win the popular votes. Additionally, the candidate must score twenty-five percent of the votes in two-thirds of the local governments in the particular state.

However, a candidate needs only a simple majority of the votes cast in a particular constituency to be elected a state legislature.