The Nation Newspaper

Category: Election 2019

  • Onaiyekan decries killings, says election not a battlefield

    The outgoing Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, on Monday frowned at the violence and militarisation of the polls across the nation.

    He said election is supposed to be an opportunity for Nigerians to choose their leaders, and not a battlefield.

    Onaiyekan said this at the opening mass homily of the 1st Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and the Dedication of St Gabriel Chapel Building at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Durumi, Abuja.

    His words: “Elections are supposed to be an opportunity for us to choose those who will serve us. In many cases, it has been turned into battlefield for warriors fighting to capture power and conquer territory and people.

    “No wonder it has become such a do or die affair- winner takes it all. No wonder the process has been militarised with armed thugs engaging our security forces, who in their turn are rarely able to be as fair and professional as they claim to be. No wonder votes often no longer count.

    “When this happens, it is not only the losing contestant who alleges fraud. More significantly, it is the people, the voter, who is denied the once in four years opportunity to choose who will serve us as political leaders.

    “If the name of the political game does not change from domination to service, elections will continue to be problematic and the nation will continue to stagnate”.

    He however charged those who won in the elections to always discharge their duties, having in mind that power belongs to God alone and He would demand for accountability on how power is used.

    “Whatever the outcome of our elections, fair or foul, whoever holds power at the end of the day, even with the fairest of election victory, must remember that power belongs to God and Him alone.

    “He will demand strict accountability on how anyone takes power, and how anyone uses power. God cannot be deceived or challenged”.

    He warned that bad governance would not lead to good governance.

    Onaiyekan also said the voter apathy and boycott that almost marred the march 9 Governorship and States House of Assembly was as a protest and a vote of no confidence of the electoral process by the electorates.

  • Breaking: INEC declares Benue guber election inconclusive

    After an intense political battle involving eminent citizens of Benue state on either side of Senator Akume’s All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Samuel Ortom’s Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the March 9 governorship polls has been declared inconclusive.

    At the state’s Collation Centre located within the INEC headquarters in Makurdi on Monday, the Collation Officer, Professor Sebastine Maimako presented the thirty-three participating political parties’ results, including that of APC which got 329, 022 votes and the PDP with 410, 576.

    “First maximum vote, PDP with 410, 586, APC with 329, 022 with margin of lead, 81, 554.

    Read Also: Declare me winner in Sokoto, Tambuwal urges INEC

    “Total cancelled votes documented is 122, 019; on the basis of this, I hereby declare the election inconclusive,” he stated.

    Immediately, the PDP agent, Alex Ter Adum rose, citing constitutional provisions, portions of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines which made such decision appear grossly unfair to the PDP and its candidate.

  • Niger Senator-elect congratulates Sani Bello on re-election

    The Senator-elect of Niger East Senatorial district, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Musa has congratulated Governor Abubakar Sani Bello over his re-election saying it shows that the Governor remains the favourite of Nigerlites.

    In a statement signed by the Senator-elect, he voted that the 2019 governorship election held in Niger state was an attestation to the fact that democracy is deepening and gaining momentum.

    “The emergence of Governor Abubakar Bello as winner in the poll has also demonstrated the commitment of the electorate towards the growth and development of our dear Niger State.

    ” By re-electing the governor for another four years, it is an expression of the aspiration of Nigerlites to promote good governance and ensure that the giant strides made by His Excellency in the last four years are maintained.”

    Read Also: Niger: Sani Bello wins polling unit

    Musa expressed optimism over the Governor’s commitment towards the realization of APC’s change mantra geared towards transforming Nigeria and Niger state in particular.

    ” I am convinced that the next four years will be a rewarding one for all Nigerlites, and we all shall move to the Next Level.

    “I, therefore, wish to congratulate His Excellency, Alhaji (Dr) Abubakar Sani Bello on his landslide victory at the poll on Saturday. I am not surprised that the Governor won the poll with a wide margin, in spite of the rhetorics being circulated by the opposition, the governor remains the favourite of Nigerlites.

    He then urged the Governor to carry everyone along irrespective of their political leaning saying, “suffice to say that Niger State is for all of us, and we must join hands together to make it prosperous.“

  • Kaduna Speaker re-elected as APC wins 22 assembly seats

    The Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Aminu Shagali has been re-elected as member of the House in his Sabon Gari constituency, as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won 22 assembly seats in the state.

    The leading opposition party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won the remaining nine seats in the Saturday state assembly election.

    APC won in Kudan, Soba, Maigana, Giwa West, Giwa East, Makarfi, Kubau, Ikara, Kauru, Magajin Gari, Kagarko, Doka Gabasawa and Kawo.

    Read Also: APC alleges killing of members in Cross River

    The ruling party also won Makera, Tudun Wada, Ungwar Sanusi, Igabi East, Igabi West, Zaria City, Zaria, Basawa and Sabon Gari constituencies.

    PDP however won in Kaura, Jaba, Kachia, Kajuru, Chikun, Zonkwa, Zango Kataf, Jema’a and Sanga constituencies.

  • APC kicks as INEC declares Okowa re-elected in Delta

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) in Delta State has declared Ifeanyi Okowa winner of the Delta State Governorship elections.

    Announcing the results Monday in Asaba, State Returning Officer, Prof Seth Accra-Jaja said the candidate of the PDP polled 925,271 votes to defeat his closest rival Great Ogboru of the APC who scored 215,938 votes.

    According to Prof Accra-Jaja, the number of registered voters is 2,831,205 while the number of accredited voters is 1,188,784.

    He said voided votes are 24,147 votes, adding that valid votes cast stands at 1,154,188 votes.

    The State Returning Officer said the total number of votes cast stands at 1,178,335 votes.

    The indicate that the ruling People’s Democratic Party won in 23 local government areas spread across the three senatorial districts while the APC won two local government areas.

    The APC won in Ughelli North and Ethiope East LGAs.

    Read Also: Delta polls: Okwa in early lead

    But the APC has rejected the results announced, stressing that the elections were marred by massive vote rigging and non- compliance with the electoral law.

    APC State agent, Prof Festus Arunaye said,” I reject the votes as announced because right from the ward level to the local government collation centre there was gross mayhem, violence which has resulted in deaths. The elections were conducted in gross violation of the electoral laws”.

    He said his party will seek legal redress to claim the mandate given by the people of Delta State.

    PDP State Chairmen, Mr. Kingsley Esiso expressed happiness over the PDP’s victory describing it as a victory for Deltans.

  • Breaking: APC’s Mukhtar Shehu wins Zamfara guber election

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for Zamfara state Alhaji Mukhtar Shehu, has emerged winner of last Saturday’s election.

    State Collation officer, Prof. Kabiru Bala of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria said the APC candidate polled 534,541 to defeat his closest rival Dr. Bello Muhammad Mutawalle of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who got 189,452.

  • Adamawa inconclusive election is victory postponed -PDP candidate

    The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Adamawa State election, Hon Umaru Fintiri, has said that he regards as victory postponed the declaration of the election as inconclusive and the subsequent decision to conduct a rerun in certain places.

    Fintiri had attained the feat of being the first leading candidate by end of collation Monday morning when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) pronounced the election which held on Saturday as inconclusive because the margin of lead between the two leasing candidates was smaller than the number of cancelled votes.

    Fintiri had polled a total of 367,471 votes to emerge the first leading candidate, and was followed by Governor Mohammed Jibrilla Bindow of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who received 334,995 votes.

    Explaining how he arrived at declaring the election inconclusive, the state returning officer, Prof Andrew Haruna, had said the margin of lead between the leading candidates, 32,467; was lower than the number of cancelled votes; being 40,948 in 44 polling units.

    Read Also: Adamawa: PDP leads after result from eight LGAs

    Prof Andrew said election would be held in the affected units to address the vote cancellation anomaly.

    Umaru Fintiri who spoke to newsmen in Yola on the development Monday, asserted that his name would eventually be announced as winner. He said, “I’m very hopeful of victory. Adamawa is my constituency and I have been voted across the length and breadth of the state. If INEC, for reason of its own cancellation of results, has opted for supplementary election, we are ready for it.”

    Fintiri’s optimism may have come from the widespread view that the LGAs where elections were cancelled in some units, namely Madagali (3 polling units), Michika (5 PUs), Mubi North (3), Hong (4), Song (4), Toungo (3), Demsa (4), Numan (6), Lamurde (3) and Guyuk (3) are mostly ‘PDP LGAs.’

    He urged for calm among his supporters, saying, “I enjoin Adamawa people to be calm and wait for the rerun in the places they have identified. Already we are coasting home to victory and we will get there.”

    He added that despite the turn of events regarding the election, he regarded its conduct as having been generally credible. “I am satisfied with the electoral process. It was credible and transparently so in most places,” he said.

  • INEC declares Emmanuel winner of A’Ibom governorship election

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples Democratic Party, winner of the governorship election in Akwa Ibom state.
    Emmanuel polled a total of 519,712 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Obong Nsima Ekere of the All Progressives Congress who polled a total of 171,978 votes.
    Collation officer for Akwa Ibom state in the governorship election and vice chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Osateri Orumasese announced the result of the governorship election.

    Read also: INEC declares Sokoto guber election inconclusive

    Agents of political parties had earlier signed the result except the agent of the APC, Archbishop Sam Akpan who rejected the result and walked out of the collation centre.
    The delay in the release of the final results of the governorship election was caused by the late arrival of results from Essien Udim.

  • INEC declares Plateau gov polls inconclusive

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the governorship elections in Plateau inconclusive.

    Prof. Richard Kimbir, the Returning Officer for the election in the state announced this on Monday in Jos, after collating results from the 17 local government areas of the state.

    Kimbir, who is the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, said the total number of votes cancelled is more than the difference in the number of votes the the two major candidates got, “hence was constrained to declare the polls inconclusive”.

    The returning officer said Mr Simon Lalong of the All Progressive Congress (APC) scored 583, 255 votes while his closest opponent, Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Useni (rtd) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 538, 326 votes in Saturday’s governorship elections.

    Kimbir said the total number of votes cancelled in the state is 49, 347, which is above the total difference of 44, 929 in the votes scored by the two major candidates.

    “In line with section 179, subsection two of the 1999 constitution as amended I am constrain to declare this election inclusive.

    “This is because the total number of cancelles votes is above the difference that exist in th votes pulled by the two major candidates.

    “So, in line with the electoral act, a supplementary elections will be conducted in the affected areas in 21 days, ” he declared.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LGAs were votes were cancelled include Shendam, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos and Kanam.

    Others affected include Jos North, Langtang South, Mangu and Pankshin. (NAN)

  • Bagudu re-elected governor of Kebbi

    Kebbi State governor, Atiku Bagudu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been declared winner of the  Saturday’s governorship election in Kebbi by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The results was announced at the State Collation Centre for  2019 Governorship Election by the Collation Officer for Governorship and State Assembly Elections, Prof. Hamisu Bichi, on Sunday in Birnin Kebbi.

    He said Gov.Bagudu of APC scored 673,717 votes, while Sen. Isah Galaudu of PDP polled 106,633 votes.

    “Atiku Bagudu of APC, having certified the requirement of the law and scored the highest votes is hereby returned elected and declared the winner of the March 9, Saturday governorship election in the state,” he said.

    Bichi said 1,789,975 voters were registered; 820,078 accredited while 814,084 votes were cast; with 793,388 valid votes and 20,696 votes rejected.

    According to the results, Bagudu polled 30,720 votes while Galaudu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 4,526 votes in Gwandu LGA.

     

    In Birinin Kebbi, APC ascored 79,092 while PDP polled 6,019.

    In Argungu LGA, APC scored 30,101 while PDP polled 23,397 votes, while in Shangal, APC scored 27,012 and PDP, 3,506 votes.

    In Aliero, APC scored 21,923 against PDP’s 3,479, while in Suru, APC secured 39,359 votes and PDP got 5,198.

    In Kargo, APC got 21,899 while PDP scored 805 votes, and in Augie, APC secured 28,479 and PDP polled 11,875.

    In Bunza, APC won with 23,980, while PDP polled 2,114 votes, and in Dandi, APC got 33,315 while PDP polled 5,921.

    In Sakaba, APC had 19,182 while PDP got 1,746, and in Zuru, APC won with 25,507 while PDP polled 4,578.

    In Jega, APC got 53,807 votes while PDP got 1,774. and in Maiyama, APC secured 40,217 over  PDP’s 1,477.

    In Bagudo, APC polled 41,556 and PDP, 2,581 while  in Ngaski   APC won with  20,817 while PDP polled 3,516.

    In Fakai, APC had 14,722 while PDP got 3,729  votes, while in Danko/Wasagu, APC polled 29,635 against PDP’s 4,609.

    APC polled 31, 392 in Koko/Besse, and PDP,  1,216.

    In Yauri LGA, APC polled 25,011 while PDP secured 1,574. And in Arewa LGA, APC scored  35,991 while PDP secured 10,994.