The Nation Newspaper

Category: Election 2019

  • Voters laud security presence at polling units in Bauchi

    Electorate on Saturday lined up to cast their votes under water tight security during the supplementary elections in Dass and Bogoro local government areas of Bauchi State.

    A NAN correspondent, who monitored the elections in Kadama and Malar poling units of Dass and Bogoro, gathered that in spite of the heavy security presence, voters said they were comfortable and appreciated the security.

    The elections commenced at 8: 00 a.m; and voters had turned up for the exercise as early as 7: 00 a.m.

    Mr Salihu Hassan, an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Domestic Observer, told NAN that the exercise so far, had been peaceful.

    “I want to appreciate the security for their conduct, see their large number; yet voting is going on peacefully.

    “You can also see that many people have cast their votes and are patiently waiting for counting to begin, while others are still voting,’’ Hassan said.

    READ ALSO: Thugs invade Polling units in Bauchi

    At Kadama, a voter, Mrs Hannatu Usman, told NAN that she was satisfied with the voting process at the polling unit.

    “We came out early to vote for our candidates, we are only waiting for the counting of votes and we are optimistic that with the heavy presence of security, no hooligan will snatch a box here,’’ Usman said.

    Also at the Malar Polling Unit, Mr Monday Yusuf, said the election was peaceful and orderly as the voters and security personnel were conducting themselves in an orderly manner.

    “The election is peaceful; there is a large turnout of women and youths.

    “With the heavy security in all corners of the poling units, there is unlikely to be any attempt to disrupt the election process,’’ Yusuf said.

    NAN reports that as at 2:30 p.m., there were no reports of ballot box snatching or violence, as experienced during the main elections.

  • Breaking: APC in early lead in Ekiti supplementary poll

    The supplementary election in five Polling units in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State is gradually coming to an end as collation of results has commenced.

    The election in Ekiti East constituency 1, was suspended by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 9, when the governorship and House of assembly elections were conducted across the states of the federation.

    The electoral battle is between Mr. Juwa Adegbuyi of the All Progressives Congress and the present occupier of the seat and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Ojo-Ade Fajana.

    See results of four out five polling units below:

    The results of the supplementary election in five polling units in Constituency 1 Ekiti East Local Government:

    Ward 9 unit 9 APC 106, PDP 006,

    Oda Odo Unit APC 132 PDP 002

    Ayaalafe Unit APC 145,; PDP 00

    Odo Uro Unit APC 99 PDP 001

    Details later……

  • Live Updates: supplementary elections

  • APC planning to arrest our leaders in Bauchi, says PDP

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was planning a mass arrest of top PDP leaders in Bauchi State through compromised security personnel.

    A statement issued by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Saturday in Abuja, said the plot was to put PDP leaders out of circulation and enable the APC to rig the supplementary election in the state.

    Ologbondiyan said that credible intelligence information to the PDP was that the APC wants to use political thugs and “compromised security agents’’ to storm polling units between 1p.m to 3p.m.

    The allegation, according to him, was for the ruling party to snatch election materials and change results and take them to INEC office in Bauchi for collation and announcement.

    He listed some of the PDP leaders earmarked for the alleged mass arrest to include Alhaji Bello Kirfi, Sen. Abdul Ningi, Sen. Suleiman Nazif, Sen. Isa Misau, and Salisu Ningi.

    Others include PDP Bauchi State Chairman, Alhaji Hamza Akuyam; Ahmed Yerima, Samaila, Burgah, Aminu Tukur as well as PDP leaders and agents in the 29 polling units where elections were holding in the state.

    Ologbondiyan, however, said that such underhand scheme would not deter the PDP from standing firm in resisting all aggression and consolidating on the party’s already established victory in Bauchi state.

    “All our members are at red alert in monitoring the electoral process.

    “We will never allow any alteration of results as delivered at the polling units and that nobody, no matter the machination deployed, can rig us out in this election,’’ he said.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission had halted collation of results for the governorship election in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi due to court order, which it pledged to vacate.

    The commission said that supplementary elections would proceed in the other 15 Local Government Areas of Bauchi state as well as the Kirfi State Constituency Supplementary Election in Kirfi Local Government Area

  • Kano rerun: Dala LGA records high number of voters

    Dala Local Government area of Kano State has recorded a large turnout of voters especially women for the governorship rerun elections.

    NAN checks around Yelwa Ward showed voters in queues and waiting to cast their votes.

    Some women, who spoke with a NAN Correspondent, lauded the security provision around the area.

    Malama Umaira Saminu, a housewife, said that the re run election was safer and more secured than the previous one in the area.

    Another voter, Amina Abdurrahman, also lauded the peaceful conduct of the re run in the area.

    “The last election was very terrifying for us because there wasn’t much security and that was why some parts of the polling unit were set ablaze by some thugs.”

    She appealed to the winner of the gubernatorial election to bear in mind that voters on the area sacrificed a lot to vote.

    Earlier on Saturday, rumour spread in Kano that thugs had taken siege on Yelwa Ward to distabilise the process.

    NAN reports that Yelwa Ward in Dala Local Government Area has been one of the polling centres with issues during the previous governorship elections.

    The issues in many polling centres at various stages, made the Kano elections to be declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

  • Kano rerun: PDP, APC bicker over violence

    The Kano state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the cancellation of the Saturday gubernatorial rerun election in the state, describing it as a sham.

    Addressing Reporters on their misgivings over the exercise, the state chairman of the party, Rabi’u Suleiman Bichi claimed that their supporters were disallowed from voting.

    Bichi said PDP may be forced to take legal action if INEC failed to cancel the rerun election.

    He accused security agencies of connivance with the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to rig the election.

    According to him, “today, this charade called rerun election was slated to hold in Kano and other states. Unfortunately, what we have in Kano is nothing but a sham.

    “Reports reaching us since yesterday thugs have been mobilized by the APC and Kano state Government to take over all the 208 Polling Units”

    Bichi further stated that, “these thugs are imported from Zamfara, Katrina, Kaduna, Plateau, and other neighbouring states. I am certain most of you media have been out there in the field and have witnessed and can corroborate what we are saying.

    “These thugs are armed to the teeth and posing as the electorates of those localities polling units. They freely vote with the PVCs that do not belong to them and some posing as INEC staff within while others don’t our party (the PDP) Agents’ tags. Our agents were denied access to the polling unit and most of them were beaten and driven away from the polling units.

    According to him, “we as peace loving party and as a people notified the security agencies and l personally wrote a letter of caution to Resident Electoral commissioner of the impending mayhem based on what we saw happening across the state.

    Bichi added that, “these with many other infractions made us to completely lose faith in the whole exercise and therefore call on INEC to cancel this election.”

    In a swift reaction, the Kano state APC, Chairman. Abdulahi Abbas said the allegations by the PDP are unfounded, baseless and untrue.

    He added that, “we have more people here in Kano, why import people from other states? I think their allegations is a sign of defeat.”

    The APC chairman further stated that, “we were able to mobilize our people to come out en masse and vote for the APC.”

    He said PDP should have waited for the outcome of the election before calling for cancellation.

    He urged INEC to continue with the exercise and declare the winner.

    According to him, “PDP thugs attacked the Commissioner of Information, Malam Muhammad Garba and the Commissioner of Finance, Alhaji Aminu Da’am and others were attacked by PDP thugs with their cars smashed at Dala Local Government Area.”

  • Kano re-run: Police send reinforcement to Gama ward

    The Police Command in Kano State has sent more reinforcement of security personnel to Gama ward of Nasarawa local government to beef up security at the polling units located in the ward.

    The Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano.

    He said that the deployment of additional security personnel to the areas followed the visit by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Anthony Micheal, to the area.

    He said that following the report on the security challenges at the area, the DIG visited the ward to assess the security situation there.

    According to him, the deployment of additional security personnel was necessary as part of efforts to enhance security as well as ensure the protection of lives and property in the affected areas.
    “The DIG has visited Gama ward to assess the situation and had since sent more reinforcement to protect lives and property,” he said, adding that the situation had since been brought under control.

    On the alleged arrest of the commissioner for special Duties, Muktar Ishaq, the Police spokesman denied the story, saying “Iam not aware of arrest of any Commissioner”.

  • Supplementary polls: I’m sure of victory, says APC candidate

    Mr. Fatai Mojeed, candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ibeju-Lekki State Constituency I, has expressed confidence that he would win the ongoing supplementary election in the constituency.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC in Lagos State is conducting supplementary election in nine polling units of Ibeju-Lekki State Constituency I for the Lagos State House of Assembly seat.

    The commission had declared the March 9 House of Assembly election in the constituency inconclusive because of over-voting in the nine polling units covering two Registration Areas (Ward) of the constituency.

    The affected polling units in Ibeju Registration Area I are polling units 001, 003, 004, 005, 006, and 009, while that of Iwerekun Registration Area I are polling units 002, 004, and 005.

    Speaking with NAN at his residence in the constituency, Mojeed, who is seeking reelection, said he had been leading with a wide margin before the poll was declared inconclusive by the electoral umpire.

    “The report on the supplementary election is encouraging, as the people are coming out gradually to vote, and at the end of the day, I am sure I will emerge the winner.

    “My expectation is to go to collation centre by 4:00p.m. or 5: 00 p.m. to be declared the winner,” the APC candidate said.

    Mojeed blamed INEC for cancellation of the March 9 election, saying most of the card readers used on that day broke down along the line and were not replaced.

    According to him, the ad hoc staff of INEC then resorted into manual accreditation of voters and continued the process, which he said, led to over-voting.

    Assessing the functionality of Smart Card Readers in the ongoing supplementary poll, Mojeed said: “The card readers are working perfectly, it’s unlike the case of the previous election.”

    Commenting on INEC performance, Mojeed said: “There is lacuna in system of voting.

    ”I hope to talk to our representatives at federal level to look into the issues and correct some of them in the ongoing review of the electoral act.”

    He, however, adjudged the ongoing supplementary election to be peaceful; stressing Ibeju-Lekki is one of the most peaceful places in Lagos State, even in Nigeria.

  • Breaking: Thugs set electoral materials ablaze in Benue

    Suspected thugs on Saturday set ablaze electoral materials meant for supplementary elections in the entire Azendeshi ward in Chito town of Benue state.

    Chito town is the headquarters of Azendeshi ward with 13,000 voting population.

    The electoral materials were said to have been kept at a public primary school before thugs belonging to one of the political parties overpowered security men and set them ablaze

    There was also reports of a similar situation in part of Kwande local government area as thugs manhandled INEC staff and destroyed electoral materials but the situation was said to have been brought under control.

    Apart from these isolated cases the election was generally peaceful in Benue with a large turnout of voters at various polling units as earlier as 8am.

    As at press time the process was still ongoing in 22 local government areas out of 23 where the rerun exercise is taking place.

  • Ex-minister calls for fairness, credibility in Plateau re-run poll

    Former Minister of Water Resources and Rural Development, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, has called for fairness and credibility in the re-run elections in Plateau state.

    The former minister in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Barkin Joji, Plateau, said the people’s votes would only count if there was credibility in the process.

    “I am here in Barkin Joji polling unit, which is part of my constituency, to monitor the conduct of ongoing election. It is going on well.

    “I pray votes will not be swapped, which is the condition that will determine if the election result will be acceptable,” she said.

    She expressed concern over the militarisation of the election in the polling unit, but said discussions were held to quell anxiety in the area.

    Ochekpe, a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lauded the large turnout of voters in the election, saying it was a sign of determination to ensure good leadership in the State.

    Earlier, the party agents at the polling units expressed satisfaction with the turnout and conduct of the election in the area.

    Mr. Pam Donzaks, the PDP agent, said the election had been calm and orderly so far.

    “We have a larger turnout today partly because some registered voters who were unable to cast their votes during the March 9 elections are opportune to do so today,” he said.

    Mr. Irimiya Joshua of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said all sensitive materials and personnel arrived on time for the electoral process.

    NAN reports that Barkin Joji, with 570 registered voters was the only polling unit in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, earmarked for the re-run elections taking place in 40 polling units in the State.