LAST Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections held across the country left Nigerians with various experiences to last them life time memories, including the good, the ugly and the utterly odd.
From a sick octogenarian, who pleaded with his nurses to accompany him to his polling unit to cast his vote, a cripple who was carried on the back by some good-spirited Nigerians and voters who went to their polling units with foods and sleeping materials in determined efforts to be part of what seemed an assured ‘change’, the odds scenes were as varied as the places where the elections took place.
And expectedly, all across the country, the outcome of some of the elections was a bull-eye hit by political analysts and bookmakers who had earlier projected the likely outcome of the polls. For instance, the presidential election, won by the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Muhhamodu Buhari, was a bull-eye hit for the analysts.
On the other hand, some results rubbished the analysts’ permutations and tore the bookmakers’ calculations to pieces, making some of the results a case of David defeating Goliath.
In Ekiti, wives wish for more election days
On the eve of the election, many residents of Ekiti State made last-minute purchases of basic items they needed ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections. A move round Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, revealed that major markets in the city were stormed by anxious buyers who rushed to purchase foodstuffs and other basic necessities.
Traders at Erekesan Market, Bisi Market, Irona Market, Awedele Neighbourhood Market and Enu-Odi Market at Odo-Ado, made brisk business as they were busy attending to customers. Customers who trooped to the markets to make last-minute purchases paid through their noses as prices of goods and services had skyrocketed to their amazement.
Some of the residents said they had to stock their homes with food because of their “fear of the unknown”.
The state government declared Friday work-free to allow civil servants travel to their hometowns and villages to participate in the election. All government offices in the state were turned to ghost towns as from Friday, as no activity took place.
Because of the seriousness attached to the election, some voters carried their food inside portable coolers and picnic containers in a bid to fight hunger expected to set in at one stage or the other.
Some boys took advantage of empty streets by turning them to football fields where they demonstrated their soccer artistry and had enough fun.
Major junctions in some towns played host to fetish objects believed to have been placed there by politicians and their sympathizers in their desperate bid to win. Many voters had arrived polling booths as early as 6.00 am awaiting the arrival of polling officials and security men.
Before the arrival of election officials and materials, they discussed about how the election would go, the fate of the political parties and how the election results would affect them.
Money played a major role in determining parties voters would cast their votes for as one of the political parties shared money to the electorate in a bid to win their votes.
The money sharing was believed to have been done in collaboration with security agents who might have been ‘settled’ by the agents of the party in question. At the polling station, an old woman who had got wind of the sharing of the election ‘largesse’ came to ask for her own ‘share’ but when she was told that the sharing had stopped, she left for her home in frustration.
Some of the youths turned polling booths to love nests as some boys used the opportunity of the break between accreditation and voting to ‘toast’ girls who had come to exercise their franchise.
At polling booths that recorded huge turnouts of eligible voters, pickpockets had a field day stealing money and mobile phones of unsuspecting voters.
Sellers of bottled water, sachet water, soft drinks and confectionaries made profits at polling booths and they would wish that election is held every day. Throughout the election weekend, it was a bad day for operators of beer parlours, cyber cafes, food canteens and other shop owners as they were forced to close their business premises.
Some wives also wished that elections are held every day as their husbands were forced to stay indoors during the period. The only time such hubbies were out was when they went to cast their votes.
A woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “I wish election takes place every day because my husband stayed at home throughout the period of election. Even after voting ended, the security situation prevented him from going out as he used to do before.”
The build-up to the election in Ekiti State was also tainted by tension and attacks on political opponents by suspected agents of the ruling party and this heightened fear in some quarters.
A determined cripple and the crazy dog owner
Few hours to the kick-off of the voting process in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, there was palpable fear of a possible outbreak of violence. It was an atmosphere where even the lion-hearted feared to step out. But in the midst of the tension and apprehension, a cripple dared all the odds, stepping out to be counted as the nation approached a new dawn in its history.
Reclining in a wheelchair and unable to cross what seemed the last hurdle before him- a high way- the cripple beckoned on passersby to ferry him across the Idimu-Egbeda Road, where Polling Unit 059 was located, in order to cast his vote. Not a few people who mistook the elderly disabled man for an alms beggar ignored him, until a magnanimous youth offered to help by taking him across the road.
The unidentified cripple, however, was able to cast his vote at the polling unit located in front of the family house of the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire. He was returned to his wheel chair by the benevolent youth to the admiration of bystanders.
Just as the cripple drama was playing out, another drama occurred at a polling unit on Akowonjo-Egbeda road, where a queer voter (names withheld) practically unleashed his Alsatian dog on voters at the unit.
There was pandemonium as the dog barked and charged unrestrained at voters who scampered to safety. The dog, called “Prince”, was later apprehended alongside its owner by the police.
There was another mild drama when one of the voters at Unit 040 in Orelope area of Egbeda, Mrs Oroja Giwa, embarked on a “one-man” protest in the neighbourhood calling on policemen on patrol to either allow her to vote or be ready for a showdown.
Raising her voice on the Egbeda- Idimu Road, she said: “We have been at the polling unit since 6 am waiting for the arrival of electoral officers but they did not show up until 11 am. We were berating them (INEC officials) for their late arrival and breakdown of card readers when some policemen arrived and took the electoral officers away without any explanation. It is absolutely clear that the motive behind the stoppage of the exercise is to prevent us from voting for a candidate of our choice. I have to vote o, journalists please help me o.”
In Okota axis of the state, it was almost business as usual for commercial motorcyclists, as they busied themselves ferrying passengers from one end of the area to another. Commercial activities around the Apata Memorial School area and beyond were in full swing, giving a wrong impression that movement might not have been restricted.
Some shops, including lotto operators (Baba Ijebu) operated freely. You get the first sign of serious business as you approached Oshodi, where stern – looking security operatives, including military men and equipment, barricaded the expressway.
The soldiers shouted orders to everybody to “turn back except you are on election duty and have your identity card to prove it. We don’t care who you are. Even if you are a security personnel, you must turn back unless you show that you are on duty.”
Around the Hope Primary School, McQueen, Ikoyi, where the INEC supervisors and adhoc staff camped, there was a beehive activities, where different sizes and shapes of mats were scattered around. At most polling units, voters turned out with food which they shared. Interestingly, majority of the voters remained calm despite the long wait with no one explaining the situation to them. A few, who complained, however, expressed their determination to wait till the following day as long as they would exercise their franchise.
Car-owners turned commercial drivers in Kano
Prior to the Presidential and National Assembly elections election, there were panic movements of some southerners resident in the state, owing to the hang-over of the 2011 post-election violence.
In fear of a possible outbreak of violence, most people decided to take their families home, giving rise to high demand of roadside restaurants, popularly known as Mama Put.
Though movements were restricted on and business activities almost shut down, The Nation observed that, particularly within the Sabon Gari area, an enclave carved out for non-natives, people, particularly men, were seen trekking on the streets, finding their ways to various kiosks, hiding at strategic locations. Conscious of embarrassment from security agents, customers of these local restaurants kept out of prying eyes, discussing the elections in hush tones.
For those who could not patronise Mama Put, they resorted to taking junk foods, including bread, indomie, biscuits, bags of sachet water and soft drinks, which they stocked in various homes in case of any eventuality.
Though there were no official orders to shut down markets, our correspondent observed that major markets within the city were temporally shut, as both sellers and buyers were not too eager to resume business, following apprehension over possible outbreak of violence.
But commercial and corporate activities operated at half-mast. Even banks offered skeletal services; just as many bank customers who trekked long distance in search of ATM machines to withdraw money were disappointed, as insufficient funds characterised most of the machines within the city.
Matters were made worse when most homes ran out of foodstuffs. This situation also led many residents into debts, as they bought most wares on credit in order to keep body and soul together.
Even some car owners were forced to use their cars for commercials purposes to raise some money to put body and soul together. According Mr. James Ikigbe, who used his car for taxi within the city, “my wife complained of shortage of foodstuffs; and I am also shot of money; so, the only alternative left for me was to use this car to run around, so that I can raise some money to feed the family, pending when this whole thing is over.”
Card readers drama in Kaduna
Even though victory was expected for General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna, what was difficult to tell was the margin of the victory. The fact that the Vice President is an indigene of the state and a former governor was not enough to assure him of victory.
The Vice President, Arch. Namadi Sambo, knew that General Buhari was more grounded in the North-West, particularly in Kaduna. In the run-up to the election, the Vice President was always in Kaduna for weekend meetings with different groups and stakeholders, especially within the six weeks of election postponement. Each of those meetings ended with people smiling home with either local or hard currencies.
But unfortunately for the ruling party, the money expended could only secure it less than half of the votes polled by APC’s General Muhammadu Buhari. While Buhari polled 1.127,760 , PDP scored only 484,085 votes in Sambo’s home state.
It was alleged that members of CPC who lived outside the VP’s area deliberately went to the Camp Road polling unit, close to Sambo’s residence, to register for the 2011 general election, with the sole aim of embarrassing him. Meanwhile, in a fast move to avert the 2011 experience, the Vice President had secretly applied for the transfer of his Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) to allow him exercise his franchise at another polling unit.
Unknown to his old opponents who are now members of the APC, they stormed the Camp Road polling unit yet again to ‘disgrace’ the VP, but they were surprised that he had changed his polling unit. But to them, they have defeated Sambo again, whether he voted there or not. APC won the unit with 386 votes, as against PDP’s 53 in the Presidential election.
On election day, a man suspected of trying to disrupt the election by using electronic system to scramble the card readers escaped being lynched by irritate youths who had queued to be accredited at Kasuwan Barchi area of Tudun Wada in Kaduna metropolis. It was added that the timely intervention of elderly people around the polling unit saved the suspect.
“He partook in ballot box snatching during 2011 presidential election, and now that he cannot snatch ballot box, he decided to jam the card readers,” an eyewitness said.
‘Show of force’ in Edo
More than 24 hours before the election, fears were rife over a possible breakdown of law and order in Edo State. And the ‘Show of Force’ by security agencies, especially the DSS, and the rumours of a curfew being imposed, did not help matters, as it heightened tension across the state.
Market women quickly closed shops before 6pm and by 7pm, streets of Benin City were deserted, while few commercial vehicles remained on the streets. At the various local government headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), party supporters laid siege to monitor distribution of election materials to various polling units.
At the state headquarters of INEC, an Armoured Personnel Carrier was placed in front of the gate and security was fortified. Plain clothes soldiers deployed to the state began clampdown on APC leaders on the eve of election. The state youth leader of APC, Osakpamwan Eriyo, escaped arrest when the soldiers in plain clothes stormed his hotel on allegation of gun running. It was the intervention of youths in the area that stopped the arrest.
Chairman of APC in Orhionmwon, Matthew Ehigie, fled home when policemen in two Hilux vans stormed his residence. The policemen searched his house and later left. As as early as 8am, voters had already besieged polling units and election materials were at the polling units at Idah Primary, Agbado Primary school in Oredo Local Government.
A drive through the Benin-Auchi-Abuja road showed that heavy security was deployed to Edo North Senatorial District where Governor Adams Oshiomhole hails from than in Edo South. Road blocks mounted by soldiers were few in Edo South but soldiers’ check points were mounted at every 1000m in streets of the several towns in Edo North. At Auchi, soldiers were reported to have stopped farmers at Igbirra camp from going to their poling units until the intervention of the Otaru of Auchi, HRH Alieru Momoh.
The chairman of Estako Central Local Government Area of Edo State, Emmanuel Momoh, and six other APC leaders were reportedly arrested by soldiers. Some voters alleged that they were intimidated at polling units by soldiers and many going to polling units in their vehicles were stopped. At some polling units, electric generating sets were used to provide electricity, while candles were used in several others.
Commenting on the polls, Governor Oshiomhole said: “There are disturbing stories in many places. The Army has been used in a very criminal way to harass, intimidate and beat up voters in many units. For example at Fugar, our officials there were beaten up. They were going to take them away and the people were able to resist them. They went to another unit within the same Fugar, beat up people there, arrested the local government chairman and took him away to the barracks.”
Why Buhari beat Jonathan in Aso Villa
Having been president and the de-facto ‘landlord’ of Aso Villa, the official residence of the nation’s leader, it was expected that President Goodluck Jonathan would at least win the two polling units 021 and 022 located within the Presidential Villa last Saturday.
But that was not to be. The president polled a total of 595 votes in the two units to trail Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s 613 votes. It will be recalled that Jonathan had during the 2011 presidential elections also lost the polling units in Aso Rock.
One would have thought that four years would have been enough for the president to worm himself into the hearts of the electorate in the presidential villa, which surprisingly majorly comprises of the staff of the State House, Abuja.
Most of the staff had to register in the polling units close to the offices, which is the two units located in the Villa. Apart from the security personnel who work and live within the Villa, many of the staff, who live far away, had to arrive early on that Saturday morning to exercise their civic responsibility.
According to some sources in the Presidency, President Jonathan lost the two polling units because most of the State House staff were not very happy with him. Among President Jonathan’s alleged offences was his failure to have any audience with the staff of the State House for the six years he has been at the helm of affairs.
They were also said to have been disappointed with the president’s refusal to meet them about three weeks ago when they sought audience with him. Rather than personally attend the meeting with the staff in the Banquet Hall of the State House, with few days to the election, the Chief of Staff was sent to represent the President at the meeting.
This, it was disclosed, did not go down well with most of the staff, who, it was revealed, had looked forward to the meeting with the President under one roof. “Since that day, they have continued to wonder why it was so difficult for the President to physically meet with them when he had severally met with various groups at the venue of the meeting,” the source said.
One of the sources, who did not want his name in print, said: “Mr. President had met with various groups all this while, so why has it been so difficult for him to meet us? We have worked for him and the Presidency over the years and yet it has been very difficult to meet our principal. To be very frank with you, all these had an effect on the voting patterns of the staff on Saturday,” he said.
Again, probably seeing the handwriting on the wall of the imminent exit of President Jonathan from the seat of power, majority of the worshippers who normally thronged the Aso Villa Chapel anytime the president was worshipping there, stayed away during last Sunday’s Palm Service in the church. The service was held few hours after the election, and results of the election had been trickling in from all parts of the country. Those who attended the church service hardly filled the first three rows on the two sides of the hall.
How David defeated Aliyu the ‘Goliath’ of Minna
Last Saturday’s National Assembly election marked the third time that Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, the governor of Niger State, would contest an election against Barrister David Umaru. In the previous two elections, the governor defeated Umaru. But the tides changed last Saturday when the electorate in the Niger East Senatorial District gave their votes to the petit candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the run-up to the election, the song, Kariya maza su ke! Sai Talbaa, had taken over the political wave- length of the Niger East Senatorial District and indeed the entire state.
The song was an introductory note for the governor, who is fondly called “Talba Minna” at formal and informal gatherings. Simply put, the song is interpreted thus: “Any strongman standing on Talba’s victory is a liar”.
And of course, the song did what it was meant to achieve, as it sent shivers down the spines of many opponents of the governor, especially those contesting the Niger East Senatorial District seat with him. He was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the zone.
But there was one man who refused to be intimidated. David Umaru, the APC candidate, just like his namesake in the holy Bible, dared to dream big. And in what has been described as an anti-climax to the race, Aliyu, who is the Chairman of Northern States Governors Forum, was defeated the petit size lawyer, David Umaru. The lawyer-turned-politician made nonsense of the popular “Kariya maza su ke”.
Umaru polled 257,831 votes as against Aliyu’s 82,094 votes. The land slide victory of the APC flag bearer was enough proof that the victory was not a fluke. In the election, the electorate in the zone became the ‘invisible strongman’ that stood in the way of Aliyu, who was roundly rejected in all, but one of the 1200 polling units in the area.
Many had thought that Aliyu’s political pedigree and eloquence would guarantee his smooth ride to the upper chamber of the National Assembly. But he lost the battle even before the elections. Political watchers in the zone picked holes in Aliyu’s refusal to embark on campaign to seek for the votes of the people. Many said aside from the three-day governorship campaign tour of the zone that he participated, Aliyu did not venture to campaign, a development that made APC in the state to accuse him of planning to use the security to rig due to his refusal to go out to any of the villages to seek their votes. The electorate in the area also saw the governor’s act as taking them for granted.
Aliyu, whose political antecedents are legendary, failed to get it right this time around. His choice of managers of his campaign had no political or electoral value to add. Virtually all the people in sensitive positions in his senatorial expedition never won any election in their wards. This was reflective in his woeful outing last Saturday.
Some of Aliyu’s symphtisers, however, believed that the mass exodus of non-indigines from the state affected their man. According to Haruna Ibrahim, a supporter of the defeated candidate, “It is a known fact that Oga rode on the wings of the support of non-indigines during past elections, but their mass movement out of the state affected him. We lost many votes to the exodus of our brothers and sisters out of the state.”
Incidentally, 48 hours to the election, Governor Aliyu had high hopes of winning the election. He told newsmen in the Government House in Minna, that he had a dream that by Monday morning, he would be singing victory songs. But alas, the songs only remained in his dream.
Rivers after the battle
While voters in the rest of the country are counting their gains or losses from last Saturday Presidential and National Assembly elections, some electorate in Rivers State have continued to mourn the loss of loved ones who died during and after the elections in the state. Many are also in various hospitals recuperating from the injuries received during the various crises on election day.
In Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state, unknown gunmen invaded the area at about 3:20pm when the people had started voting at wards 10 unit 11. After shooting sporadically, the angry gunmen carted way all the electoral materials at the units. Their action forced eligible voters to flee for their dear lives. One person was shot and killed, while three others were injured in the fracas.
An eyewitness, Matthew Ewo, said: “When we started, the process was peaceful, but after some time, some heavily armed youths stormed the area and chased the people away. One person was killed instantly; we are yet to ascertain how many people that were injured because many people escaped with blood. But for now, three persons are in the hospital receiving treatment
“In some units in the area, we also discovered that some NYSC members posted as ad-hoc staff were fake. One of them, who is a member of the community, has no WASC certificate, so when did he graduate to become a corps member? We protested, but the PDP supporters in the area insisted that he must be with them.”
Investigations also revealed that a radical thug in the area (names withheld) died after he was shot by a friend who wanted to test the efficacy of a protective charm. A source, who gave his name as Jude, said: “After going to a native doctor who assured him that the charm will not fail, he invited his friends before going out that Saturday morning to cast his vote to test the efficacy of the charm. But he died instantly when he was shot with a pistol.
“He was a man who loved to defend himself. He had the pistol to defend himself, in case anybody might want to attack him. He was a gentle guy and can never be described as a thug in spite of the nature of his death.”
In Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, some armed youths in military uniform held the people of area hostage for several hours. Two persons were killed, while about 10 persons in the area were injured. Ballot boxes and other INEC materials were also snatched.
APC members in all the communities in Ikwerre Local Government Area boycotted the election. There was shooting, panic and anxiety in the few communities such as in Omerelu, Elele and Ubima, there was panic, as guns boomed, leaving the people to scamper for safety. One person was killed at Ozuhia community in Ikwerre, LGA.
The same situation repeated itself in all the communities in Ikwerre Local government Area. At Elele community, ward 3, unit 13, APC members were asked to leave the accreditation line if they would not vote for Jonathan. Those who insisted on voting were attacked.
In Okrika, there were protests and shooting over fake PVCs. One of the protesters, Mrs. Helen Tamunor, said women in the area decided to block INEC office in the area due to the fraudulent behavour by PDP supporters.
