by Godwin Akanfe

The All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Muhammadu Buhari is leading in three of the six geopolitical zones given the results that have been officially announced so far.

The zones favouring Buhari are the north west, north east and south west,and on the strength of those zones, it may be safe to call the popular vote in his favour. What remains now will be to see if he will win 25% of the vote in 25 states and thus meet the Constitutional requirements to be elected President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Jonathan acolytes lose grip 

Incumbent President, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, lost vital polling units, including the one at the seat of power where he resides, Aso Villa, Abuja.

Many prominent politicians that backed Jonathan, such as Musiliu Obanikoro, a junior Minister for Foreign Affairs, lost their polling units to opposition parties too.

INEC is yet to announce the result of the presidential election, but the director of media, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO), Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, claimed, in a press statement on Saturday night, that Jonathan had won in 23 states and APC in 14.

APC spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, however, immediately raised the alarm that President Jonathan and his cronies were working round the clock to manipulate the people’s mandate by unlawfully coveting majority votes or rendering the elections inconclusive.

When asked, INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, faulted Fani-Kayode’s claim that the PDP was leading in 23 states, or 64 percent, in the presidential poll. He said that the only results received were from two states, Ekiti and Ogun.

Buhari sweeps North 

Buhari led by far in seven local government areas in Kano state when the resitls were announced yesterday. The APC candidates for House of Reps and Senate were also in the lead.

The areas are Bunkure, Makoda, Tsanyawa, Bagwai, Albasu, Kibiya and Kura LGAs.

Spokesman of INEC, Kano office, announced the following:”Kibiya- APC 23,000 votes, PDP 4,999 votes; Gabasawa – APC 31,000 votes, PDP 8, 840 votes. Bagwai – APC 38 , 750 votes, PDP 8,159 votes; Kunchi – APC 24,542 votes, PDP 2,921 votes; Tsanyawa – APC 32,662 votes, PDP 4,819 votes, and Gaya -APC 38,085 votes, PDP 1, 888 votes.”

In Kaduna State, Buhari swept votes across the 23 LGA. Even vice president Namadi Sambo lost his own ward in Kaduna North LGA to the APC by a wide margin.

Dr Husseini Momo Lawal of the Ahmadu Belo University, Zaria, who served as collation and returning officer in the vice president’s ward, announced that APC won the presidential election with 10,760 votes to PDP’s 1,760 votes.

Results collated from Shiba Ward 1 in Kaduna North LGA also indicated that the APC led with 3,871 votes while the PDP followed with 1,827 votes.

The presidential result coming from Ikara LGA showed that APC led with 49,146 while the PDP got 7,170 votes, and in Kubau LGA, the APC led with 63,875 votes while PDP got 6,377 votes in the presidential election.

The vice-president had changed his polling unit PU-011 on Swimming Pool road, near Police College, to avoid a repeat of the 2011 embarrassment after he lost his then polling unit.

In Kebbi state, Buhari beat President Jonathan even in the wards where the president’s people have influence.

Dr Bello Haliru, a onetime PDP chairman, lost his ward. The current minister of special duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki also failed to deliver as the APC beat the PDP at Sarkin Zabarmawa polling unit.

Reports also said voters booed and threw pebbles at the minister before security operatives whisked him away.

The PDP national treasurer, Alhaji Buhari Bala, also failed to deliver his polling unit at Hassan Organiser polling unit. Samaila Haliru Dankasa, who is the coordinator of TAN in Kebbi state, failed to deliver his Garkar Sarkin Zabarmawa polling unit too.

In Niger State, PDP’s candidate, Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has lost the Niger East Senatorial District to David Umar of the APC yesterday after results came in from six of the nine local governments in the senatorial district.

The results released by INEC returning officers at the collation centre at the College of Education, Minna, yesterday night showed that in Chanchaga LGA, Umaru scored 49,219 votes to Governor Aliyu’s 17,209 votes, thereby beating Aliyu in his own local government area.

Also in Gurara LGA, Umaru scored 18,887 votes to Aliyu’s 6,520 votes. In Shiroro LGA, the APC candidate got 27,191 while the governor got 7,519 votes.

Similarly in Tafa LGA, APC garnered 17,598 to PDP’s 8,151 votes, while in Bosso LGA, Umaru scored 36,250 and Aliyu 7,060 votes. The result from Munya LGA also indicated that Umaru had 13,666 while Aliyu got 6,635.

In total, in the six LGAs so far announced, David Umaru polled 163,111 votes to Governor Aliyu’s 53,094 votes.

The results from Rafi, Paikoro and Suleja LGAs were being awaited as polling continued in those places yesterday.

Results collated last night in Sokoto state put Buhari far ahead of President Jonathan. Most of the results were still being expected, but t looks like the APC candidate will floor his main opponent.

The results available from two out of the 23 local governments in the state showed a wide far margin between the two candidates.

Of the total 38, 589 valid votes cast in Denge Shuni LGA of the state, Buhari polled 31,036 while Jonathan got only 6, 918.

The same scenario played out in Kware LGA as the APC candidate polled 25, 286 out of the 33, 008 valid votes, to the PDP’s 5, 339 votes.

In Goronyo LGA, Buhari polled 28, 950 votes to Jonathan’s 7,664 votes.

More results were being awaited at the time of filing this report.

In the North-East, the state secretary to the Borno government, Baba Ahmed Jiddah, has said Buhari will win in the state given the results collated so far in 16 LGAs.

Ambassador Jidda, who is also Buhari’s agent, said his principal was leading with a margin of about 95 percent in the results announced for the 16 LGAs so far submitted at the INEC collation centre.

“The APC is cruising to landslide victory; as you can see, we have done better that we thought,” said the SSG. “It is obvious that our opponents are struggling to score 25 percent, but from the look of things, at the end of the day, they may not be able to get more than 10 percent.

“Today we have so far collated results from 16 local governments and from what we have, the APC has approximately 95 percent, while the PDP has slightly over five percent. The turnout is not that very good, but it should be expected given the circumstance we found ourselves. When more results are brought in tomorrow, it may improve the figures we have. However, the good thing is that people are happy they have participated in this election.”

Buhari wins Ogun 

Buhari has been declared winner in Ogun state. He beat President Jonathan soundly.

Buhari garnered 308, 290 votes to beat Jonathan who had 207,950 votes.

The Collation Officer (SCO) for the presidential election in Ogun, Professor Duro Oni, said the APC presidential candidate won in 13 local governments while the PDP won in seven.

The local government areas won by Buhari were Ewekoro, Obafemi-Owode, Ijebu-Ode, Odeda, Ijebu North East, Odogbolu, Abeokuta North, Abeokuta South, Ado-Odo/Ota, Egbado South, Ifo and Egbado.

PDP, however, won in the seven council areas of Remo North, Imeko- fon, Sagamu, Ogun Waterside, Ijebu East, Ijebu North and Ikene.

The total number of votes cast in Ogun State was 559, 613 out of which 26, 441 were voided, while a total valid votes cast was 533, 172.

Jonathan favoured in Benue 

Jonathan was in the lead in five local governments areas so far collated in Benue state.

The results in Benue North East and Benue North West senatorial districts were yet to be collated.

The already announced LGAs include Ado, Okpokwu, Ohimini, Agatu and Ogbadibo respectively. The results indicated that in Ado, Jonathan polled 7,382 to Buhari’s 2,328 votes.

In Okpokwu LGA, Jonathan scored 12,103 votes, while Buhari got 4,757, and in Ohimini, the president led with 5,909 against Buhari’s 4,734.

Jonathan also defeated Buhari in Agatu, home of the PDP deputy governorship candidate in Benue, John Ngbede, with a wide margin of 9,555 votes against 3,627. In Ogbadibo, it was a slim win for the president as he got 6,937 votes to main rival’s 6,257 votes.

Meanwhile, the APC in the state has accused the ruling PDP of trying to manipulate the results of presidential and National Assembly elections in the three senatorial districts of the state.

The media director of Ortom/Abounu governorship campaign organization, Mr Tahav Agerzua, who made this allegation in a statement said, “Especially in the Benue North senatorial District where APC has won obviously, the PDP is trying to manipulate it.”

INEC not under pressure to declare elections inconclusive – Jega 

Jega has said INEC is not under  pressure to declare last weekend’s elections inconclusive.

He also disclosed that the commission had commenced investigation into the incidence of electoral violence, especially the burning of its office in Rivers State and the killing of INEC ad hoc workers in Gombe State.

The INEC chairman also admitted that the INEC has received allegations of election rigging by its employees, stating that the commission had also started an enquiry into the matter.

He said, “There was one clip that has been in circulation since yesterday (Saturday) afternoon about an underage voter said to be from Taraba and we have mandated our Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to investigate it thoroughly and identify where this happened, and to also identify the polling official who did it because it is clearly illegal to allow and underage person.

“There were a few other reported cases in which some observers said that they have seen underage voting; we are yet to see details which would have enabled us to investigate these malpractices.

“Underage registration and voting is illegal, with this record that is in circulation, it should be possible to identify the polling unit and the official in that polling unit as well as the person. It is possible to trace the person; we are investigating this thoroughly and we will take appropriate measures when the case is established,”

Jega also warned people about prematurely announcing results, saying only INEC was empowered by law to announce results.

The INEC chairman confirmed that Osun, Kebbi, Ekiti, Adamawa, Borno, Jigawa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi states reverted to manual-only accreditation of voters in some polling units, after encountering card reader hitches.

He however said election could not be concluded on Saturday in 90 polling units in Lagos State, 16 in Kebbi, 25 in Adamwa, 6 in Niger, 37 in Yobe 8 in Borno, 37 in Jigawa, 13 in Kano, 116 in Taraba and 2 in the FCT, Abuja.

He further clarified that only .025 percent of the card readers, out of 150, 000, malfunctioned during the accreditation process, which he described as statistically insignificant.

He added that there would not be declaration of results from any states until the electoral officers provide hard copies of the results to the commission.