Ruling party of Nigeria wins vote in key region
Nigeria's ruling party narrowly won a key governorship election in southwestern Osun state, officials said on Friday, suggesting the region that helped sweep President Muhammadu Buhari to power will be hotly contested in national polls early next year.
The poll was a re-run after the first vote, held at the weekend, was deemed by the election commission to be inconclusive because the result was within the margin of error when spoiled ballots were factored in to the count.
The vote had been seen as a test of the ruling party's popularity in the southwest - a region that helped Buhari win the 2015 election. Its backing for Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC), a merger of four regional parties, proved to be crucial in presidential and gubernatorial races.
