The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Polling Unit

  • Shina Peller wins polling unit

    Entrepreneur and Lagos big boy, Shina Peller, has shown he is a grassroots politician as he delivered his polling unit at the presidential and national assembly elections which held on Saturday.

    Peller, who is the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Aquila Group of Companies and Club Quilox contested to represent Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency, Oyo State at the Federal House of Representatives under the All Progressive Congress, APC.

    After casting his vote on Saturday, the 44 year old entrepreneur and socialite took to Instagram to share his projections.

    “The day has come when we have to decide how the next 4 years of our lives will be run,” he wrote.

    “I hope we all came out to vote. I know it’s going to be a long day but let’s make sure we stay behind to witness the vote-counting exercise. Let’s secure our votes and make them count! #NigeriaDecides2019 #ShinaAyo2019 #TogetherWeCan.”

    Though results are yet to be officially declared, earlier yesterday, hip hop superstar, Davido, who according to his Instagram post, was in Johannesburg, South Africa, took to Twitter to congratulate Peller.

    “Congrats Hon elect Shina peller,” Davido tweeted.

  • Buhari wins in Gov. Dankwambo’s polling unit

    President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has defeated Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo polling unit in Gombe in Saturday’s Presidential Poll.

    Mr Ahmed Makko, the Presiding Officer of Hassan Manzo 005, announced the result amidst jubilation by APC supporters.

    Buhari scored 453 votes to defeat Atiku, who scored 80 votes.

    However, in the senatorial election, Gov. Dankwambo won in the unit scoring 325 votes to defeat the APC candidate Alhaji Saidu Alkali who scored 212 for the Gombe North Senatorial seat.

    NAN reports that Buhari’s supporters took to the streets to celebrate the victory.

  • Police: five officers to man each polling unit

    The police said yesterday that five officers would man each of the 2,548 polling units in Kogi State to guarantee security at tomorrow’s election.

    The police command headquarters was yesterday filled with officers waiting to be redeployed to divisions and commands, from where they will be assigned to their units.

    Policemen and other security agents were posted to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) headquarters where non-sensitive materials were loaded for distribution to collation centres.

    The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has deployed three commissioners to assist the Deputy Inspector-General in charge of Operations, Sotonye Wakama, in tomorrow’s poll.

    Each commissioner will supervise a senatorial district. The three police commissioners posted to the state are Isaac Eke, Peter Ogunyanwo and Sam Okaula. They will work with three assistant commissioners.

    At least 4,969 personnel of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) drawn from squadrons are to complement the 11,000 conventional police operatives and other security agents on ground, the police said.

    Police spokesman Ovyie William said the Force would ensure that the election was peaceful.

    He said: “We’ll repeat what we did during the general election when the police were hailed. Over 11,000 officers have been deployed in Kogi to ensure there is no disorder before, during and after the election.

    “We are deploying police officers in divisions and area commands for re-deployment to Kogi East, West and Central senatorial districts to ensure security of life and property.”

    The Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security also met yesterday to strategise on how to ensure security.

    The committee consists of security and paramilitary agencies, such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Nigeria Prisons Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), among others.

    Speaking after the meeting, William said: “Since last month, we have met for about six times in preparation for this election. Today (yesterday), we met to strategise on how to ensure that there is free, fair and peaceful election.

    “We’re ready for anybody who wants to foment trouble. The presence of the police everywhere is to tell you that we’re ready. We won’t tolerate thuggery. Anybody found culpable will be arrested and prosecuted.

    “We will deploy five police officers in each of the poling units. If you don’t have your PVC, you don’t have any business in a polling unit. After voting, you can stay behind to wait for the announcement, but you must not cause trouble.”

     

  • Gunmen storm polling unit, set materials ablaze in Bauchi

    Some unidentified gunmen on Saturday stormed a polling unit in Bagurun Primary School of Darazo local government area of Bauchi state, firing gunshots sporadically into the air and forcing voters to scamper for safety.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the spokesman of the Bauchi State Police Command, DSP Haruna Mohammed, and made available to newsmen.

    The statement said the gunmen arrived at the place in six vehicles and thereafter gathered all election materials and set some of them ablaze.

    “The timely intervention of combined security forces, comprising the Police and Army, forced the suspects to abandon their mission and escape to unknown destination,

    “This enabled the electorate to put off the fire and save both the sensitive and non-sensitive materials.

    “Normalcy was restored in the area and the electorate continued casting their votes unhindered under tight security,” he said.

    Mohammed also confirmed the arrest of a 24-year-old man, Abdul Umar, in possession of a locally made pistol, seen loitering around Katako ward of Warji town in the state.

    The statement said Abdullahi Samaila and Nasiru Adamu also found in possession of 29 permanent voter cards at Marga Primary School Polling Unit of Ganjuwa local government area were also arrested.

    According to the statement, INEC Smart Card Reader machine and some election materials at Jauro Gani Village Polling Unit of  Alkaleri local government area of the state were snatched by unknown persons.

    However, the Community Head of Goro area of Dutse Alhaji in Bwari Area Council of Abuja, Mr Abubakar Bako, said the 2015 elections could turn out to be the country’s best.

    Bako, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the electorate had shown unparallel zeal to ensure their votes counted.

    He said the elections had put an end to voter apathy and complacent toward politics by the people.

    “What we are witnessing today in this community is unprecedented and we hope to keep flame burning.

    “The turnout is so impressive because since I began participating in elections this has been the most participated,’’ he said.

    Mr Bryan Sims, an international election observer, expressed displeasure on the attitude of some of the electoral officers.

    “In Abuja city, there were incidences of late delivery of INEC materials and these had caused the delay in the process in some areas.’’

    He, however, described voters’ calmness to expression of maturity and readiness to nurture the country’s democracy.