The governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Benue State, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has been declared the winner of the 18 March poll.
The Catholic priest won 473,933 votes ahead of his closest rival and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Titus Uba, who scored 223,913.
The Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Faruq Kuta and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna declared Alia the winner.
Alia, who is a member of the ruling APC, is expected to take over from Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP G5.
So far, the results of 20 governorship polls have been announced. The APC takes the lead with 14 states, the PDP with five states and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) with one state. The election in Kebbi was declared inconclusive by the electoral body while the collation of the results of governorship polls in Abia and Enugu was suspended.
Officially, nine of the 11 Governors who sought reelection in the March 18 polls held across Nigeria in West Africa have been declared winners by INEC to return to office for another four-year term each.
They include Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State.
Of the 28 states, 11 serving Governors sought reelection while 17 outgoing Governors are in the final weeks of their constitutional two-term limits of eight years, having been sworn in on 29 May, 2015.