The Nation Newspaper

Category: Election 2019

  • PDP leads Gwarimpa, Life camp polling units

    The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) on Saturday led in the Presidential and National Assembly elections at the LEA Primary School, Galadima, polling unit, Gwarimpa and Life Camp polling unit.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that voting ended in the units at 3.p.m., while that of the Model City Gate, Gwarimpa Polling Unit ended at 4:30p.m.

    At LEA Primary School, only the Presidential results were ready with PDP having 707, and APC got 194, out of a total votes of 879, while invalid votes were 112.

    However, the Presiding Officer, Auwal Kundi said that the results for the Senate and Legislature were not ready, adding that they would be concluded on Sunday morning.

    Kundi complained that provisions were not made for food and drink since they came to the unit in the early hours of the burning.

    “Can you imagine that up till now, we have not taken anything,’’ he said.

    Similarly, PDP led the Presidential election in Gwarimpa Model School Polling unit 024 with total votes of 673, with APC having 272, other parties had 30 votes and 45 invalid votes were recorded.

    PDP also won the Senatorial and House of Representative with 645 votes and 621, while APC got 273 for Senatorial seat and 276 votes for House of Representative.

    Similarly, at Gwarimpa Model Gate Polling Unit 013B, the results were – Pesidential, APC- 215, PDP- 973; Senate, APC-233, PDP- 923, House of Representative; APC-227, while PDP got 887 votes,’’ he said.
    At Efab Estate Lifecamp Unit 017, PDP won the senatorial seat with 844 votes ,while APC got 267 votes and for the seat of House of Representatives, PDP got 798 and APC got 270 votes.

    PDP won the Presidential position with total votes of 833 votes while APC got 258 votes, according to the Presiding Officer, Mr Bede Nwankwo.

    Meanwhile, a voter, Mr Anthony Asonaya, at the LEA Primary School, Galadima, Gwarimpa polling unit donated a generator for INEC complete the collation of results, which extended to as late as 9 p.m.

    Asonaya said he had been providing generator in that unit for the past three elections since 2011 to support the process.

    He said that his motivation was to ensure that the process was transparent and went smoothly.

    “Above all, my love for the country has made me to help INEC in the exercise,’’ he said.

  • Police arrest four with eight PVCs in Kano

    Kano State Police Command on Saturday arrested four persons in possession of eight PVCs during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Haruna Abdullahi, confirmed the arrest while addressing newsmen in Kano on Saturday.

    He said the suspects were arrested in Sabon Gari area, Fagge local government area and had since been taken to Criminal Intelligence Department, CID, for investigation.

    DSP Haruna Abdullahi also said that four other persons were arrested for allegedly destroying election materials and attempt to snatch ballot boxes.

    The Command Spokesman added that the incident occurred at a Polling Unit in Takalmawa village of Gabasawa local government area of the state.

  • APC, PDP in tight race in Edo

    The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party are neck to neck in the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Edo State.

    No official results have been announced as collation of results was still going on at each Ward.

    Former Governor Adams Oshiomhole and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress thrashed the PDP at his polling unit at Iyamho and Governor Godwin Obaseki won at his polling unit at Emokpae primary school.

    Elections were generally peaceful across Edo State except in some polling units at Egor where ballot boxes were set ablaze.

    Those that spoke hailed the conduct of the elections.

    In some areas, there were initial malfunction of the card readers but they were later rectified.

    In Edo South where Senator Matthew Urhoghide and Patrick Obahiagbon are in the race, unofficial results showed there were clear winner yet.

    For the House of Representatives seat on Ovia Constituency, Dennis Idahosa of the All Progressives Congress maintained a lead in his stronghold while Barr. Omosede Igbinedion held on to Okada, her hometown.

    Hon Ehiozuwa Agbonnayima took the lead in Ikpoba-Okha while his opponent, Jude Ise-Idehen is said to win in some wards in Egor.

    Edo State Commissioner of Police, in charge of elections, Dan-Malam Mohammed who visited several polling in company of the lnter-Agencies Consultatives Committee on Elections warned policemen not to allow anybody enter INEC office.

    His words, “Make sure you work with the names on your list. you know lNEC office is very vital during collation of results, make sure is properly secure.”

    A visit to the Edo college, in Ward 8, in Oredo local government in units 27 to 30, the security agencies made up of Army, DSS, Custom, NCSDC, lmmigration and others to verify the situation on ground, the PDP and APC agents complains about shortage of sensitive materials like ballot papers and othe logistics plights to the police.

    ln Udo, Ovia South West, ballot boxes were snatched and a suspect was arrested with arms and ammunition.

    Police spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor confirmed the arrest.

  • Buhari wins in Akpabio’s unit in A/Ibom

    President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has won in the polling unit of Sen. Godswill Akpabio in Akwa Ibom.

    Akpabio, a former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governor of Akwa Ibom and former senate Minority Leader, defected to the APC and is currently the APC senatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom North West.

    Buhari got 1553 votes to win his closest opponent in the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who polled 11 votes in Ukana West 2, unit 9, Essien Udim Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom, Akpabio’s unit.

    In the senatorial election result, Akpabio won in the unit with 1533 votes while the PDP senatorial candidate, Chris Ekpenyong got 4 votes.

    Speaking after the declaration of the result, Akpabio commended INEC and security agencies for conducting a peaceful election in the state.

    Read Also: Buhari floors Atiku in Obasanjo’s unit

    He blamed the PDP for election rigging in the state, saying that was why 400 thugs were recently arrested by security operatives.

    Akpabio said PDP was now jittery knowing that security operatives had risen to their responsibility, saying three trucks of thugs imported to the state were apprehended.

    “When I was a governor I gave respect to the people. I did not use thugs. I am a lawmaker and will never allow myself in anything that will disrupt Buhari’s administration.

    “I am pleading that elections should not be war as we are peaceful in this unit,” he said.

    NAN

  • Hoodlums snatch ballot box in Ondo

    Security agents reportedly saved an ugly situation Saturday at Afin-Akoko in Ondo state, where hoodlums matcheted a party agent, Idowu Olorunfemi.

    The hoodlums allegedly snatched a ballot box and went away with money meant for the party agents.

    They were said to have escaped in a gulf car before soldiers, combined team of police men and civil defence trailed them.

    They abandoned the car and ran into the bush.

    Read Also: PDP are jesters, says Ondo APC

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Okeagbe, a Superintendent of Police (SP) Ibitayo Adetaranmi could not be reached for comments.

    However, the victim was on a danger list at an undisclosed hospital.

    Dangerous weapons like gun cutlasses were retrieved from the abandoned vehicle.

  • Buhari wins Obasanjo’s, Osoba’s polling units

    …loses in Daniel’s, Kashamu’s Polling units

     

    Snippets of result emanating from Presidential and National Assembly elections in Ogun State showed that President Muhammadu Bubari won in former President Olusegun Obasanjo polling unit.

    The result of the election which was counted and announced publicly at Obasanjo’s ward 11, unit 22, Olusomi’s compound in Abeokuta North Local Government, Buhari of the All Progressives Congress(APC) polled 87 votes to defeat his main challenger, Alh. Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polling 18 votes.

    The African Democratic Party, ADP polled 4 votes, Sowore’s party, AAC polled 1 vote while voided and rejected votes stood at three and five respectively.

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun lost to the Senatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Titi Gomez, at the polling unit of the leader of the All Progressives Congress(APC) and ex – governor of the state, Olusegun Osoba.

    Amosun, who is the senatorial candidate of the APC polled 86 votes, Titi, a former Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, garnered 126 votes while Peoples Democratic Party, PDP polled 23 votes.

    The Polling unit was however delivered to President Muhammadu Buhari of APC as he polled 147 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of PDP’s 81.

    In Sagamu, former Gbenga Daniel who is the Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, Southwest, delivered his polling unit for his party’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

    In Daniel’s ward 12, Isote unit in Sagamu Local Government, Atiku polled 137 votes while President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, polled 88 votes.

    The governorship candidate of the party in the State and Senator representing Ogun East senatorial district, Senator Buruji Kashamu also delivered his Sopen unit 26 in Ijebu Igbo to the PDP Presidential candidate.

    While Atiku polled 138 votes, Buhari of APC polled 110 votes

  • Presiding officers announce elections’ results at units’ level

    The Presiding Officers (POs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have started announcing the results of presidential and national assembly elections at polling units across Mopamuro LGA of Kogi State.

    Some of the results of the polling units as announced by the presiding officers are as follows:

    Ward 06 (Orokere), Unit 001
    Presiding Officer: Mr Charles Bassey.
    President:
    APC = 90, PDP= 100, ADC = Nil
    Senate:
    APC=96, PDP=82, ADC=22
    Yagba House of Representative:
    APC=93, PDP=45, ADC=56.

    Ward 06, Unit 002
    Presiding Officer: Mr Adigizi Bitrus Cornelius.
    President:
    APC =54 , PDP=112
    Senate:
    APC=56, PDP=99
    Yagba House of Representative:
    APC=66, PDP=58, ADC=48.

    Ward 06, Unit 003
    Presiding Officer: Mr Adesanya Omoleye.
    President:
    APC = 29, PDP=126
    Senate:
    APC=33, PDP=114
    Yagba House of Representative:
    APC=24, PDP=52, ADC=89.

    Ward 06, Unit 005
    Presiding Officer: Mr Jude Igwe.
    President:
    APC =57, PDP= 123
    Senate:
    APC=63, PDP=112,
    Yagba House of Representative:
    APC=58, PDP=52, ADC=84.

    Ward 06, Unit 008
    Presiding Officer: Miss Olufunmilayo Adeola Esther.
    President:
    APC =46 , PDP=89
    Senate:
    APC=45, PDP=85,
    Yagba House of Representative:
    APC=52, PDP=25, ADC=65.

    Ward 04 (Ileteju Mopa), Unit 004
    Presiding Officer: Mr Dauda Abiola Raheem.
    President:
    APC = 43, PDP=138 , ADC = 10
    Senate:
    APC=41, PDP=129, ADC=28
    Yagba House of Representative:
    APC=39, PDP=82, ADC=66, SDP= 3.

    Ward 04, Unit 003
    Presiding Officer: Miss Peace Edokpolor .
    President:
    APC =46 , PDP=131
    Senate:
    APC=36, PDP=123,
    Yagba House of Representative:
    APC=30, PDP=76, ADC=69.

    Ward 004, Unit 001
    Presiding Officer: Mr Malik Abdulrahman.
    President:
    APC =52 , PDP=91 , ADC =5.

    Ward 004, Unit 002
    Presiding Officer: Mr Tony Austin .
    President:
    APC =60 , PDP=117

    Ward 003, Unit 005
    Presiding Officer: Miss Barakat Abdullahi.
    President:
    APC =75 , PDP=118 , ADC = 10
    Senate:
    APC=70, PDP=116, ADC=19
    Yagba House of Representative:
    APC=63, PDP=82, ADC=54.

    Ward 003, Unit 003
    Presiding Officer: Mr Mustapha Abdulquadri.
    President:
    APC =30, PDP=142.

    Ward 008 (Aiyeteju), Unit 003
    Presiding Officer: Mr Lucky Aweh .
    President:
    APC =75 , PDP=96
    Senate:
    APC=64, PDP=104
    Yagba House of Representative:
    APC=68, PDP=53, ADC=65.

    NAN reports that the collation of results at wards level are still ongoing at the various ward centres across Mopamuro LGA.

  • Akpabio decries conduct of PDP officials

    Former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio has expressed displeasure with the turn of events during Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections’, saying the process was disrupted by thugs hired the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who did not allow the wishes of the people to prevail.

    Speaking to reporters at his polling unit while waiting for results to be announced, Akpabio said the PDP were shocked with the performance of the All Progressives Congress (APC)  in the election and therefore resorted to carting away result sheets, to disrupt the process. His words: “Today, whenever they are counting votes and the APC is leading, somebody will come from nowhere and grab the result sheet and bolt away.

    “It happened in Abak. The APC was leading so much that the brother of one of the candidates for the federal House of Representatives grabbed the result sheet and jumped through the window of the primary school and attempted to run away in his car. But the army shot at him and impounded the car. He managed to escape.

    “In the local government of Governor Udom Emmanuel, they got angry when they realised that the APC was leading. They attacked the youth corps member and scattered the materials, as if to say why the APC should be leading in Onna, the governor’s community.”

    Akpabio said what the opposition party did not understand is that the people love him simply because of his good works.

    He said he was shocked with the avalanche of support and show of love he saw the day he defected from the PDP to the APC.

    He added: “I have never seen such a crowd in my life. There were hundreds of thousands of people packed together, but they were patient.”

    Similarly, a member of the state House of Assembly, Nse Ntuen, said what he witnessed during the election suggests that the electoral umpire has been compromised. He said: “There are no result sheets in many of the units. Even after voting, you see people coming to cause trouble and harass the voters.

    “This is what we have been saying, even before the commencement of this exercise. It seems that the umpire is not neutral; the umpire is biased. But we did not dwell on that; what we have tried to do as citizens was to mobilise people to come out and vote.

    “On a good day, nobody would vote for any other party here, except the APC. I am sure you have gone round the units in the local government to see what is happening.

    “We have spoken to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and he says we should mobilise people to take the results from the units to the oval government collation centres, because at the ward level, we hardly know the collation officers.”

    He was optimistic however that the APC will carry the day.

    The election in Akwa State was generally peaceful, but for a few flashpoints where violence was witnessed.

    The exercise started late in many units, due to the late arrival if voting materials.

    It was also as if the two major parties concede superiority to their opponent in places where they know they cannot win, by not bothering to have representatives in such units.

    For instance, when The Nation called at the voting unit of Senator Bassey Albert, there was no APC agent on hand. Similarly, there were no PDP agents at Senator Ita Enang and Senator Godswill Akpabio’s polling unit.

    As at 6.30pm when our correspondent left Akpabio’s polling unit, the results for the three voting points within the complex were yet to be declared.

  • Democrats must accept results of credible polls, says Tinubu

    All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Saturday said that he was confident of victory for President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said the masses were ready to show gratitude for his people-oriented programmes and policies.

    Tinubu told reporters after voting at his O47 Unit, Kaffy Junction, Sunday Adigun Street, Alausa, Ikeja, that the president had promoted the welfare of the masses in the last four years.

    He said: “My hope and my determination for my party is that we are winning because we have the support of the masses.

    “We are popular among ordinary people. We are not talking about the elite, the rich. We are talking about farmers, traders, artisans, common man, parents whose parents are feeding now once per day.”

    The former governor had stormed the voting unit around 11.15 am, accompanied by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, and Southwest APC Woman Leader Chief Kemi Nelson.

    After accreditation and voting, he went to his private house, few metres from the polling booth, to greet relatives and other visitors.

    On entering the house, he was seized by nostalgia, as he told the people that he really missed her illustrious mother, the late Chief Abibat Mogaji, Iyaloja-General of Lagos and Nigeria.

    During periodic elections, the party leader usually storm the house to bring his aged mother out to vote. When the old woman was on wheel chair, Tinubu always wheeled her to the polling booth.

    In a voice laced with emotion, Tinubu said: “Ordinarily, I would have just gone back after casting my vote. My late mother’s card is with me. I miss her. But, I have to come to greet my daughter (Iyaloja of Lagos, Chief Folasade Ojo), and my grandson.”

    After spending few minutes inside the house, he returned to his Bourdilion, Ikoyi residence.

    Tinubu expressed satisfaction with the voting process, saying that Nigerians were determined to make it work.

    He said: ” So far, so good. It is the demonstration of resilience by Nigerians. Election is one of the best and most difficult ways to choose our leaders and representatives. It is the beauty of democracy. It may not be easiest process to manage and maintain.But, with our resilience and determination, we are getting better.”

    Reflecting on last week’s postponement, Tinubu said although it could be frustrating and challenging, it was not deliberately planned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    He recalled that the commission explained the circumstances that warranted their decision to postpone the polls, adding that it was open and ready to take responsibility.

    The former governor said he was satisfied with the performance of INEC so far.

    Noting that the conduct of election is still very challenging, he said it takes time, perseverance, tolerance and consistency to achieve perfection

    In his view, Nigeria will overcome the pains and move to the horizon of progress.

    Tinubu said as a democrat, he is prepared to accept the outcome of a free and fair exercise.

    He stressed: “I will accept the people’s verdict. Any democrat that cannot accept the result of free and fair election is not worthy of being a democrat.

    “We must be able to respect the result of free and fair election.”

    The former governor said if the opposition rejects the outcome of a free, fair and credible process, then, they cannot be described as Democrats.

    Read Also: Senator Remi Tinubu overwhelmed by high turnout

    Tinubu chided the main opposition party for consistently alleging that the APC was planning to rig the elections.

    Berading the opposition leaders for their regression to defense mechanism to rationalise their imminent defeat, he said rigging has been their pastime.

    He denied the allegation that he was wooing people with money, saying that he has never been involved in vote buying.

    Tinubu said although he was fond of assisting people with money in furtherance of philanthropic gestures, he has never taken money from government in the last five years.

    He stressed: “I am not an agency of government. I don’t take contract from the government of Buhari in the last five years. I am on my own.“

  • Niger: Sani Bello wins polling unit

    Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello wins polling unit. Alkali Mustapha polling unit in Kontagora Local Government.
    * Unit A*
    Presidential. APC 209   PDP 12
    Senate APC 133           PDP 41

    House of Reps APC 151 NRM 40 PDP 14
    * Unit B *
    Presidential APC 188 PDP 20
    Senatorial APC 120 PDP 42

    House of Reps. APC 136 NRM 40 PDP 20