Results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the February 25, 2023 presidential election reveal a distinct split in voter preference between the neighboring South-South states of Rivers and Delta. While Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured victory in Rivers, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) captured a commanding lead in Delta.
In Rivers State, Tinubu polled 231,591 votes, finishing 56,520 votes ahead of runner-up Obi, who received 175,071 votes. Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) placed third with 88,468 votes, while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) trailed with 1,322 votes.
The margin of victory was significantly wider in Delta State, where Obi scored 341,866 votes against Atiku’s 161,600, a lead of 180,266 votes. Tinubu finished third in Delta with 90,183 votes, and Kwankwaso recorded 3,122 votes.
When analyzed together, the results from the two states present a reversed order of finish. Tinubu won Rivers but placed third in Delta, whereas Obi won Delta and was the runner-up in Rivers. Notably, Obi was the only candidate to finish in the top two positions in both states.
The combined figures indicate that Obi polled a total of 516,937 votes across Rivers and Delta, surpassing Tinubu’s combined total of 321,774 votes by 195,163. This aggregate advantage was achieved despite Tinubu winning the state with the higher turnout of the two. In fact, Obi’s vote count in Delta alone exceeded Tinubu’s combined total for both states by 20,092 votes.
Other candidates showed varying levels of support across the region. Atiku polled 250,068 votes in total, finishing third in Rivers and second in Delta. Kwankwaso placed fourth in both states with a combined total of 4,444 votes. The data also highlights uneven support for Tinubu, whose vote count dropped by 141,408 between Rivers and Delta.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
