Author: The Nation

Ogun West APC senatorial candidate, Solomon Adeola, has defeated his major opponent, Ganiyu Obanibasiri, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidate in his polling unit at Ado Odo Ota LGA.

At the end of the poll and counting at Esa 1 Polling Unit of Ota 2, Senator Adeola scored a total number of 75 votes against Chief Obanibasiri’s 60 votes.

Read Also : Adamu loses polling unit to Labour Party

In what appears as a winning trend, Senator Adeola is defeating his opponents by substantial margins. For instance, in Polling Unit 002 Ward 2 of Ilaro, Senator Adeola scored 103 votes to defeat his PDP rival, who polled 25 votes while Labour Party scored 4 votes.

The collated results for the Ogun West Senatorial District are now being moved to Oronna Town Hall for collation and announcement of eventual winner.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Abdullahi Adamu has lost his polling unit, Angwarimi Ward, GRA A1, LERCEST Office in Keffi, Nasarawa State, for the presidential polls to the Labour Party.

The Labour Party’s Peter Obi won in the unit with 132 votes while the APC came second with 85 votes.

For the other positions: Senatorial – APC (55), PDP (22), LP (42), NNPP (4), SDP (184), ADC (1), ZLP (3), while invalid votes were seven (7).

Read Also : Labour Party seeks postponement of polls in Ondo

House of Representatives: APC (46), PDP (41), LP (30), NNPP (4), AA (21), SDP (159), ADC (2), APGA (1), while invalid votes were sixteen (16).

The failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System(BVAS) and the late arrival of election materials marred the Presidential/National Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom State on Saturday.

Apart from the late commencement of voting due to the late arrival of materials, voters were frustrated as the BVAS device did not function in a couple of polling units across the state.

In Awa Ward 1 Unit 001 where Governor Udom Emmanuel voted, the BVAS device malfunctioned.

Emmanuel and his wife, Martha, arrived the polling unit and voted by 10:23 am.

Read Also ; BVAS malfunctions in Amosun, Osoba’s polling units

But due to the failure of BVAS, Emmanuel urged the INEC to extend the voting time.

The House of Representatives member for Eket/Onna/Esit Eket/Ibeno federal constituency, Mr. Pat Ifon had to provide internet network through his phone wifi to the BVAS at Awa Ward 3 unit 4 and 5, Onna local government area.

Late arrival of election materials sparked off violent protest in Anifowoshe ‘ward 08’ Ubandawaki, Ilorin West LGA of Ilorin during the presidential and National Assembly elections.

The ward is the voting spot for former Minister of Sports, who is also the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Kwara Central, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.

Elections materials did not arrive at the centre until around 1:00pm.

But voters endured the scorching heat awaiting the materials and the officials deployed to the area.

Abdullahi in an all white attire also joined the queue deploring every attempt made in his honour to shunt the queue.

Moments before his turn, a supposed agent of a rival political party insisted that the candidate should be the last to cast his vote, citing “equal rights.”

All attempts at convincing him that the Minister had actually taken his turn proved abortive and when it was apparent that he would not allow him to vote, Abdullahi’s supporters had to bundle him out of the way of their boss.

Through out this moment, there was no presence of any security operatives on ground in the area.

Read Also : We are hoping for peaceful elections, says Mbeki

The Kwara Police Command had adopted a patrolling mechanism for the monitoring of the polls.

The agent in question had cleverly put a call across to his fellows who had promptly come in their tens throwing chairs at will with threats to kill. The Minister was unperturbed urging his supporters to maintain their calm.

The melee delayed voting about 30 minutes before the police patrol team came in to restore sanity into the system.

Abdullahi blamed the development on the late arrival of election materials to the area.

He however lauded the INEC staff on duty and “my entire people in general” for not allowing emotions to override their sense of decency during that “moment of anger.”

A widow, Beatrice Chukwuma, has narrated how the election brought back the sad memory of her departed husband, Chukwuma, who died five years ago.

Beatrice said she almost fainted while checking for her name at her polling unit and saw the picture and name of her late husband.

The woman, who voted before 9.30am at Government Secondary School, Zone 4, said although she had relocated to Kubwa satellite town in Abuja after her husband’s death, she had to return to Wuse zone 4 to vote because she was unable to transfer her polling unit.

The polling unit used to be where she and her late husband voted in the past and it did not occur to her to inform INEC so that his name could be removed from the register.

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She said: “My husband who was a military man died about five years ago and it has not been easy for me.

“Our polling unit has always been here at the Government Secondary school Tudun Wada.

“I thought that I had already gotten over my husband’s death until I saw his picture again.

“I did not know it was possible to notify INEC of his death in order for them to remove his picture but I would tell my children to do it so I don’t have to see it again next time”

The widow added that she prays that her vote counts.

Accreditation and voting began early in places like Wuse 2, Wuse zone 4, Maitama and its environs.