Breaking: INEC Declares Nyesom Wike Winner of Rivers Governorship Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the 2019 Rivers State governorship election.

Wike secured 886,264 votes to emerge victorious in the election, which was originally held on March 9 alongside the State House of Assembly polls.

The governor had established a commanding lead as collation of results resumed in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

INEC had suspended the collation of results on March 10 following widespread disruptions and reports of electoral violence in parts of the state.

The suspension prolonged the governorship contest and created uncertainty over when the final result would be announced.

After reviewing the situation, INEC released a timetable for completing the electoral process, with the collation and announcement of outstanding results scheduled to take place between April 2 and April 5.

Following the resumption of collation, Wike maintained a substantial lead over his closest challenger, Biokpomabo Awara of the African Action Congress (AAC).

INEC subsequently declared Wike duly elected governor of Rivers State, securing him a second term in office.