A senate candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan, has been defeated by Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) subsequently proclaimed Ohiare the victor of the Kogi Central Senatorial district election on February 25.
In a hotly contested race, Sadiku-Ohere triumphed over Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Ms. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Prof. Rotimi Ajayi, the INEC Returning Officer for Kogi central senatorial district, announced the result on Tuesday in Okene.
He said Sadiku-Ohere garnered 52,132 votes against Natasha’s 51,763 votes to clinch the seat, a difference of 369 votes between them.
“Engineer Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the APC having scored the highest votes in the election for the Kogi Central Senatorial seat is hereby declared winner, and is therefore returned elected,” Ajayi said.
The results of the presidential elections in Bauchi state have been announced, with Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), winning.
Prof. Abulkarim Sabo Mohammed, the state’s presidential returning officer from Federal University, Dutse in Jigawa State, made the announcement on Monday night at the Mahmud Yakubu Conference Hall, Bauchi State’s INEC office.
The Retuning officer declared that after collating results from the 20 LGAs of the state, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar won the Presidential election in Bauchi after polling a total of 426,607 votes.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its gubernatorial candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu polled a total of 316,694 while the NNPP and its candidate polled a total of 72,103 just as the LP and its candidate polled a total of 27,373 votes.
He gave the total of Registered voters in the state as 2,749,268; accredited voters: for the Election was 899,769 while the total valid votes was 853,516, rejected votes were 29,030 and total votes cast 882,546.
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has emerged victorious in the nation’s capital city, as he emerged as the winner of the presidential election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
With the results declared in the six area councils of the FCT, Gwagwalada, Abaji, Kwali, Bwari, Kuje and AMAC, with 478,923 accredited vote, Peter Obi secured 281,717 votes, Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC polled 90,902 votes while Atiku Abubakar of the PDP got 74,199 votes.
Obi who had been in an early lead since Sunday, when he took Bwari, Kuje, Gwagwalada, while the results of AMAC were awaited, when the results came from AMAC he got his biggest chunk of votes, pulling 170,392 votes in the area council ahead of the the candidates of APC and PDP who scored 29,596 and 26,407 respectively.
The duration of Nigerian tourist and business visas has been increased from two to five years by the United States of America.
On Monday, a press release by the US Consulate General stated that as of March 1, 2023, it will increase visitor visa validity from 24 months to 60 months for Nigerians.
Rauf Aregbesola, The Minister of Interior, said the decree was approved to implement the new Bilateral Consular Policy Agreements between the two governments.
According to Aregbesola, the agreements include the reciprocity of five-year tourist visa validity for American Citizens under Section 30 of the Immigration Act, 2015 and; Extension of visa validity to three years for diplomats and government officials between the citizens of Nigeria and the United States of America.
The US Consulate assured that the visa fee cost remains the same.
The statement reads, “Effective March 1, 2023, the US Mission will increase visitor visa validity from 24 months to 60 months for Nigerians who want to enter the United States temporarily for business and tourism.
“The visa validity extension allows Nigerians to use the visa for 60 months to make short trips to the United States for tourism or business purposes before renewing their visa. The visa application fee, currently USD160, will not increase due to the increased visa validity.”
“Increasing visa validity is one of several initiatives the United States took to reduce visa appointment wait times in Nigeria.
The US Mission continues to offer No-Interview Visa Renewals to those who meet the eligibility criteria.
You may be eligible for a visa renewal without an interview if your application is for a B1/B2, F, M, J (academic only), H, L, or C1/D (combined only) visa and you meet the criteria.
“Please see our website at https://ng.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/ for further information.
“Please note that processing times for the program are expected to be up to two months, and you will not be able to retrieve your passport during that time.
Minors can apply without an interview only if they meet the eligibility criteria independently.”
As a result of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) annulling the results from polling places in the Bwari and Abaji Area Councils, the Labour Party’s (LP) senatorial candidate, Hajia Ireti Kingibe, has alleged that there was a conspiracy to rig the election.
Remember that the results from the two Area Councils were canceled due to over-voting, according to Professor Sani Saka, INEC’s Collation Officer for the senatorial election in the FCT.
It was gathered that the total number of accredited voters was 21,473, while the number of vote cast stood at 21,903.
Professor Saka said “the total number of valid voters cast is more than the number of accredited votes, we are cancelling this result for over-voting.
Kingibe while speaking with journalists at her residence said due to error on the total vote cast, the returning officer alleged over-voting and cancelled election results in the Area Councils.
“I am being told that the person that was writing the result 2 plus 2 equal to 5, the judges said it is over voting, the electoral officer said it is an error from from that person whether he did it on purpose or accidentally, all the results sheet shows that there was no over voting in any of the polling units, so how can you now cancel all the Area Councils”, she said.
While alleging that thugs attacked some collation centres without being arrested, she said she will stand her ground and ensure that the right thing is done.
“I am going to the collation centre to let them know that we are not standing for this, we have watched them, they cancel polling units where we are strong, thugs go to INEC collation centre, the tear electoral materials.
“Thugs went to Gwarimpa collation centre, they attacked the people there, they tore presidential result sheets, they went away.
“Fortunately, the Returning Officer had most of the results with her. They have been looking for reasons to cancel Osuma, Bwari, those are all our strongholds, they couldn’t, then suddenly they found an error on the total votes, they said it is over voting, the Electoral Officer told them it is not over voting, it is an error on from whoever wrote it, you cannot penalise the candidate for it, look at the result sheet, you will see that there is no over voting on any of them, they said it is not their job to look at result sheets, what kind of a country are we in.
Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Sylvia Agu, as well as the Imo State EOs and SPOs, have been demanded to resign immediately by the Imo State Labour Party leadership.
The party’s state chairman in Imo State, Dr. Ambrose Onyekwere, stated at a press conference held on Monday at the party’s headquarters that the widespread irregularities committed during the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Imo State were the reason for the call for their removal.
The state party chairman also declared the rejection in advance of all the results for the House of Assembly elections scheduled for 11th March 2023 if conducted by the current REC Prof. Sylvia Agu.
He said: ” the actions of INEC in the Saturday election as a deliberate and systematic disenfranchisement if citizens of Imo State”.
The state chairman used the forum to raise certain complaints bordering on late arrival of voting materials at the polling units, non-conduct of election at many polling units as well as absence of INEC staff at polling units.
The party equally condemned what it described as deliberate subversion of the electoral process by INEC staff.
According to them in many of the units where voting took place, the INEC staff bluntly refused to transmit results with the excuses ranging from “No Code”, to BVAS machine has no since.
The party observed with dismayed that INEC staffs arrived at the polling units with insufficient materials including not more than 25 ballot paper for each of the three positions being contested for.
The state party chairman pointed out the manipulation and tampering of BVas mechines, non compliance with INEC directives to conduct elections on Sunday 26th February, 2023 at the polling units where election did not take place in previous day.
Grammy Award-winning musician Burna Boy, known in real life as Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, has responded to online trolls who have criticized him for not voting or participating in Nigerian politics.
Burna Boy responded by claiming he has never received money from the Nigerian government in his Instagram story on Tuesday.
The singer, who affirmed his political stance, stated that he does good for the country because of his heart and not for social media validation.
“I’ve never made money from any Nigerian government and I never took any house, land or money from any governor.
“I’ve never been appointed into any public office and I never intended to be. All the good I do for my country comes from my heart, pockets, time and emotions. it’s not for social media validation and it’s definitely not because I owe anybody.
“I say I nor vote. Make everybody getat,” he wrote.
Former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has been warned by the federal government not to endanger the 2023 General Elections with his allegedly inflammatory and provocative letter on the elections.
In a statement he released on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the former President’s “call for caution and rectification” was actually a deliberate attempt to sabotage the electoral process and a deliberate provocation to violence.
The previous President’s ability to spread unfounded assertions and amplify outrageous claims made on the street against the democratic process shocked the minister.
”Though masquerading as an unbiased and concerned elder statesman, former President Obasanjo is in reality a known partisan who is bent on thwarting, by subterfuge, the choice of millions of Nigerian voters,” Mohammed said.
He recalled that the former President, in his time, organized perhaps the worst election since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, hence he is the least qualified to advise a President whose determined effort to leave a legacy of free, fair, credible and transparent election is well acknowledged within and outside Nigeria.
”As the whole nation waits with bated breath for the result of last Saturday’s national elections, amid unnecessary tension created by professional complainants and political jesters, what is expected from a self-respecting elder statesman are words and actions that douse tension and serve as a soothing balm.
”Instead, former President Obasanjo used his unsolicited letter to insinuate, or perhaps wish for, an inconclusive election and a descent
into anarchy; used his time to cast aspersion on electoral officials who are unable to defend themselves, while surreptitiously seeking to
dress his personal choice in the garb of the people’s choice. This is duplicitous,” he said.
The Minister further reminded the former President that organizing elections in Nigeria is not a mean feat, considering that the voter population of 93,469,008 in the country is 16,742,916 more than the total number of registered voters, at 76,726,092, in 14 West African nations put together.
”With a deployment of over 1,265,227 electoral officials, the infusion of technology to enhance the electoral process and the logistical nightmare of sending election materials across our vast country, INEC seems to be availing itself creditably, going by the
preliminary reports of the ECOWAS Electoral Observation Mission and the Commonwealth Observer Group, among other groups that observed the election.
”Therefore, those arrogating to themselves the power to cancel an election and unilaterally fix a date for a new one, ostensibly to ameliorate perceived electoral infractions, should please exercise restraint and allow the official electoral body to conclude its duty by announcing the results of the 2023 national elections.
”After that, anyone who is aggrieved must follow the stipulated legal process put in place to adjudicate electoral disputes, instead of
threatening fire and conjuring apocalypse,” the Minister said.
Bloomberg’s calculations, has again titled Elon Musk as the world’ s richest person in the world.
In December 2022, Bernard Arnault, CEO of the French luxury retailer LVMH (LVMHF), deposed the Tesla CEO from the top rank, moving Elon Musk to number two on the list for more than two months. Yet as of Monday, according to Bloomberg, a surge in Tesla stock has sent Musk back to the top of the Billionaires Index.
According to Bloomberg, as of Monday after the markets closed, Musk’s net worth was $187.1 billion, barely surpassing Arnault’s $185.3 billion fortune.
While Tesla (TSLA) stock declined steeply last year amid Musk’s problem-plagued acquisition of Twitter and a broader market downturn in tech, shares for the electric vehicle maker have since surged in 2023.
Musk might hold the current title of the richest person in the world, but he also holds a record for the biggest fortune ever lost by anyone in history. December 2022, Musk became the first person ever to lose $200 billion in wealth — after his net worth slid from $340 billion in November, 2021 to $137 billion in December 2022.
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, of the All Progressives Congress‘ presidential candidate, won the presidential elections held on Saturday in Oyo State.
Tinubu prevailed in the 33 local government areas of the state, placing Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, in second place.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, finished in a distant third place overall in the state.
This was as announced by the INEC returning officers for each local government areas in the state at the state collation centre, INEC Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Oyo State from Sunday through Monday.
Popular actress Mercy Johnson’s husband has won the House of Representative seat for the Esan South-East/Esan North-East Federal Constituency (Edo State).
With a total of 21,764 votes, Prince Odianosen Okojie, who ran on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, won.
He defeated the candidates for the Labour Party, who received 11,528 votes, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who received 10,007.
As the results were revealed, Mr. Okojie was seen in a video with his supporters celebrating his victory.
Sharing the video on his social media platforms, he wrote “with gratitude to God Almighty, My Family and the support of the good people of AGBAZILO, I was declared the winner of the Election for the Federal House of Representatives.”
“Esan North-East/Esan South-East federal constituency 2023. Thank you for all your support and love. I am sincerely grateful,” the hotelier-turned-politician added.
Also taking to her social media pages Mercy Johnson congratulated her husband writing “Congratulations to @princeodiokojie. It was a huge win and The people of agbazilo have spoken….You will always Lead right and the people will trust and always stand by you.”
Mr Okojie initially joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to contest for the seat. However, in December 2017, Mr Okojie and several PDP supporters defected to APC.
Founder and general overseer of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Pastor Paul Enenche, has compared the political thugs of some desperate Nigerians seeking political power to animals because of their alleged role in sabotaging the peaceful conduct of the 2023 presidential election.
During his talk at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre on Sunday, the man of God compared it to the recently ongoing election.
He asserts that the actions taken by some political figures and their goons during the election were akin to those that are typical of the animal kingdom.
The man of God remarked, “Despite the patriotism, zeal, and determination of the people to vote for a candidate, there were certain irregularities throughout the election,” regretting some of them.
He said, “Unfortunately, the human demons in our custody and their lunatic agents in various parts of the country didn’t allow for a peaceful and just election in those places. Videos recordings of their misdeeds were flying from Lagos, Rivers, Kogi, Anambra, Abuja, e.t.c, with thugs at the helm of affairs in certain units.
Before the announcement of the presidential election winner, representatives of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) left the Abuja collation center.
According to reports, Senator Dino Melaye organized party representatives to walk out of the collation if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) doesn’t comply with their demands.
A section of Nigerians living in Ghana have expressed massive support for theLabour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to become president at the end of the 2023 election.
During an interaction with The Independent Africa, on Friday February 2023, all the Nigerians reached out to said they are not expecting anyone to win apart from Peter Obi.
Expressing the reason for their choice, some said they are positive he will make the “New Nigeria” mantra a reality, while the others said it is about time an Ibo man is given the opportunity to make Nigeria a reformed country.
” I expect that my brother, the Ibo man, Peter Obi will win because he is 90/60. No Ibo man has for once ruled Nigeria. So this time is our time and everyone knows that it is the time for the Ibo people to rule Nigeria.” Anyone apart from him will bring war” One Emeka expressed.
The jeans trouser vendor asserted that there will be civil unrest in Nigeria if Peter Obi does not emerge President.
Chenedu also said that he hopes for a free and fair election despite the possibility that the process will turn bloody and hectic. However “we already know who is going to be on the seat. Peter Obi, I wish him good luck.”
Mr Chika, also expressed his stance and said “my expectation is nothing much because we have taken the decision. We want Peter Obi to win. If he not going to do well we will change our mind because want a government that will deliver. If you could see they came with broom. The other one came with umbrella, but when you see Peter Obi’s logo its about family and during his campaign he was able to go round uniting the people and that what am expecting for the “New Nigeria.”
Okechukwu, not his real name, mentioned that Nigerians have been denied the privilege of enjoying good roads, electricity and water for a long time because the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All People’s Congress (APC) have done nothing about the situation.
Thus he is optimistic that Peter Obi will change their misfortune into great fortunes.
“PDP and APC have ruled us for a long time but there is nothing good coming about them. Now I am in Ghana enjoying good roads, water and electricity but we don’t have all these in Nigeria and that is why we need a better government. I beleive God will do it for someone like Peter Obi.”
Nigeria, the most populous country in West Africa, and currently the seventh most populous in the world is a federal republic comprising 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Abuja, is located.
The country has a history that keeps recurring on violence, chaos, fighting, killings, kidnappings among others during elections.
It does not come as a surprise that some of the Nigerians here in Ghana are predicting civil unrest if the election results are rigged and Peter Obi does not become President.
Counting is still underway in Nigeria’s recently concluded general elections.
Young people, who make up approximately one-third of the 87 million eligible voters, have turned up in great numbers for the exercise.
The two-party system that has ruled Nigeria for the past 24 years has faced an unprecedented threat in the election.
The candidates include Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the hitherto unknown Labour Party, Mr. Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and 15 others.
Bola Tinubu of the ruling party has won handily so far, according to official results from the south-western Ekiti state, which is one of his strongholds.
In the upcoming updates, we will bring you the latest headlines from major press hubs covering the polls.
Segun Adekoya, the House of Representatives Deputy Minority Whip and member for Ijebu-North/East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency, has failed to keep his seat.
In Ogun’s National Assembly election on Saturday, Mr. Adekoya, also known as “Attacker,” ran under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) banner but was unsuccessful in winning a third term.
Adegbesan Joseph of the All Progressives Congress defeated him (APC).
Mr. Joseph received 35,708 votes, defeating Mr. Adekoya, who received 25,450 votes, according to INEC Returning Officer Adeyemi Bamgbose, who announced the results.
As the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, prepares to announce the results of Saturday’s senate election, there is apprehension in Anambra State’s three senatorial zones.
On the Labor Party’s (LP) platform, Umeh, a former senator for the region, is easily winning Anambra Central, and Dr. Tony Nwoye, a former member of the House of Representatives, is winning Anambra North.
The senator who represents Anambra Central is Uche Ekwunife, while Stella Oduah represents Anambra North.
There are signs that Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young People’s Party (YPP), who is now leading in Anambra South, will return to the red chamber.
Spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, Charles Aniagwu, urged the public to ignore rumors that the presidential election results for the Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta had been canceled on Monday.
Spokesman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, Charles Aniagwu
Aniagwu claimed in a statement made in Asaba that the alleged cancellation was a fabrication by the spreaders of false information.
According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has duly acknowledged and proclaimed the results of the local National Assembly and Presidential elections, and the PDP won the local government.
With the announcement of the results, Peter Obi’s supporters erupted in delirious celebration. Obi is the presidential candidate for the Labour Party.
Obi received 582,664 votes, according to the statistics, while former Lagos state governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC received 541,850.
With the announcement of the results, Peter Obi’s supporters erupted in delirious celebration. Obi is the presidential candidate for the Labour Party.
Obi received 582,664 votes, according to the statistics, while former Lagos state governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC received 541,850.
Even with all of Tinubu's rigging, @NgLabour won Lagos. That gives you an idea of just how vast the real margin of victory was against the drug pusher before he fought back in his usual criminal manner.
And since we won Lagos, you know the true result in Rivers.
Although the APC candidate won more local government areas, Obi defeated Tinubu with the majority of the votes cast in the state.
All the results of the 20 local governments have been declared. Tinubu won in 11 while Obi won in nine local governments.
A candidate for the New Nigeria People’s Party, Suleiman Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, has been ajudged victorious in Kano South senatorial race by the Independent National Election Commission.
The election results were declared at the collation center in the state’s Rano Local Government Area by the returning officer, Prof. Ibrahim Barde.
In comparison to Gaya of the All Progressives Congress, who received 192, 518 votes, Sumaila received 319, 857 votes, according to him. Murtala Bashir Galadanci of the Peoples Democratic Party received 14, 880 votes.
Over 20 alleged political thugs have been detained during Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections, according to the Lagos State Police Command, which confirmed their arrests.
In connection with the destruction of electoral materials, ballot box snatching, among others, the accused were apprehended.
Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, revealed this on Sunday, during a television interview.
Hundeyin, while responding to questions on the reported violence during thepols, said hundreds of distressed calls across the 13,325 polling units were received and responded to in Lagos.
He listed various areas where incidents were recorded to include: Okota, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Elegushi, Oke-Afa and others, describing as “a clear case of political thuggery.”
He said the over 20 suspects arrested would soon be prosecuted accordingly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has so far uploaded less than 30 percent of presidential election results to its results viewing portal (IReV).
As of Sunday afternoon, TheCable found that out of the more than 176,8460 polling units where results are to be uploaded, only 41,649 have been uploaded to the portal.
The IReV portal was part of the technologies introduced by the commission to improve the transparency of the electoral process.
Although voting ended in some places on Saturday, the portal was inactive for a long time, raising concerns from civil society and observer groups.
In a statement on Sunday, YIAGA Africa urged INEC to be transparent and communicate the challenges faced during the deployment of the IReV.
Samson Itodo, executive director of YIAGA Africa, said the failure of the IReV system “undermines public confidence in the process”.
“Yiaga Africa expressed concerns about the unexplained delay in uploading polling unit results for the presidential election on the INEC Election Results Viewing Portal (IReV),” the statement reads.
“As of 10 pm on election day, results for the Presidential election were not uploaded on the INEC portal after voting and counting ended in several polling units. At 9:00 am on 26th February, INEC uploaded only 25,503 results for the Presidential elections on the INEC portal.
“The delay in uploading the results undermines public confidence in the results transmission process as it deviates from the guidelines for the elections and it failed to meet citizens’ expectations.”
After the collation officers from the 16 council areas presented their results one by one, Professor Akeem Lasisi, the INEC state collation officer and vice chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences in Ila Orangun, Osun State, announced the outcome at the state collation center in Ado-Ekiti.
According to him, the APC received 201,494 votes, the most of the 18 registered political parties that participated in the election.
The PDP came second with 89,554 votes, while Labour Party polled 11,397 votes, as New Nigerian Peoples’ Party secured 264 votes.
Professor Lasisi said the total number of vote cast was 314,478, while over 6,000 were rejected.
The INEC State Collation Officer said Ekiti had 986,777 registered voters out of which 315,058 were accredited for the election.
On his part, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Ayobami Salami, thanked all the stakeholders for their support, which led to the peaceful conduct of the exercise.
All the party agents at the state Collation Centre signed the result sheets and collected one copy each.
Below are the result from the 16 local government area as announced by INEC:
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakub on Sunday declared opened the National Collation Centre for Presidential and National Assembly elections held nationwide on Saturday, February 23, 2023.
Declaring the Centre opened on Sunday afternoon at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja hours after the election elections commenced and concluded in some polling units, the INEC boss said only the Commission is empowered to release election results.
He also acknowledged some of the challenges witnessed in some states seeing the Commission will look into all the cases.
Yakubu explained that the collation process is a four-step approach and every of the proceeding will be held in the open.
Meanwhile, the Centre has since adjourned till 6pm later today.
The presidential and NASS elections were held simultaneously across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory on Saturday.
Collation of results was still at various stages, some at the registration areas, federal constituency, senatorial district and local government collation centres.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INECmethod )’s compiling of results of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections held on Saturday has been criticized by the Labour Party (LP), which has threatened to challenge the results in court.
The LP said that although it was more discerning in its strongholds, the majority of its members were systematically denied their rights across the nation.
In a statement released by the party’s national secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, on Sunday, the party claimed that while it had gained ground in most of Northern Nigeria with high vote totals, LP members had been purposefully barred from voting, violently driven from polling places, or had ballot papers and boxes destroyed and set ablaze in other areas.
He cited Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Kano, Yobe and Edo states among places where such acts were rampantly perpetrated in violation of the electoral act 2022 as amended.
Umar said in some places, INEC staff and electoral materials were not deployed to areas that are known to be strongholds of Labour Party, or deployed late to frustrate the party supporters who, psychologically got tired of waiting and had to leave the polling units for the fear of the unknown.
“The delay by INEC to upload and announce results, especially where Labour Party, is already known to have taken lead, is also worrisome and we feel it is deliberate to anger our party and our supporters” he said.
Umar also alleged that intelligence from the fields revealed that across the Northern states, electorates identified as Labour Party supporters were tactically denied access to their polling units by some officials who connived with others to confuse the electorates by insisting their polling units are different and sending them to the wrongs ones. He said this frustrated the electorates, and reduced the votes polled by Labour Party, which would have more than doubled if the right things were done.
LP called on INEC to checkmate and call its polling staff to order and also ensure punitive measures in line with the electoral Act 2022 as amended.
The Labour Party National Secretary assured that the party would definitely challenge the outcome and final result in court.
Voters in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, have cast their ballots to select their next president amid mounting unhappiness in the country due to worsening insecurity and economic hardship. Will any of the frontrunners, most of whom have been in the political system for decades, be able to turn the country around?
Nigeria’s outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari is stepping down after nearly eight years in power amid a backdrop of chaos and widespread unrest, as many people are unable to access the cash they need to buy food because of a botched roll-out of new banknotes.
But the cash crisis is not the only problem Nigerians face, with the last year being marked by struggle and tragedy, including high inflation and deadly attacks by gunmen against innocent civilians.
Mr Buhari’s supporters say he has done his best and highlight achievements, such as his work on infrastructure projects and attempts to combat violent extremism. But even his own wife, Aisha Buhari, has apologised to the Nigerian people for falling short of their expectations.
So whoever wins the election will not have an easy job.
Who is running for president?
A total of 18 candidates are campaigning for the top job, but only three have a realistic chance of winning, according to opinion polls. Only one of the 18 is a woman.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 70, is standing for the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party. Known as a political godfather in the south-west region, he wields huge influence but has been dogged by allegations of corruption over the years and poor health, both of which he denies. Some say his campaign slogan Emi Lokan, which means “it’s my turn [to be president]” in the Yoruba language, shows a sense of entitlement.
Atiku Abubakar, 76, is running on behalf of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He has run for the presidency five times before – all of which he has lost. Most of his career has been in the corridors of power, having worked as a top civil servant, vice-president under Olusegun Obasanjo and a prominent businessman. Just like Mr Tinubu, he has been accused of corruption and cronyism, which he denies.
Peter Obi, 61, is hoping to break up the two-party system which has dominated Nigeria since the end of military rule in 1999 and is running for the little known Labour Party. Although he was in the PDP until last year, he is seen as a relatively fresh face and enjoys fervent support on social media and among Nigeria’s youth. The wealthy businessman served as governor of the south-eastern Anambra State from 2006 to 2014. His backers, known as the “OBIdients” say he is the only candidate with integrity, but his critics argue that a vote for Obi is wasted as he is unlikely to win.
Who is likely to win?
Convention suggests a candidate from one of the two main parties will win – Mr Atiku or Mr Tinubu. But Mr Obi’s supporters are hoping he can spring a surprise if they can mobilise the large youth vote to back him.
When is the election?
The election took place on Saturday 25 February 2023 but was delayed until the following day in some areas. If there is no clear winner, a second round will be held within three weeks. There will also be elections for the country’s powerful state governors on Saturday 11 March.
When will the election results be announced?
In the last two presidential elections the winner has been known on the fourth day after voting.
But votes will be counted as soon as voting ends. Those who stay behind at their polling station will have the result announced to them, but it is a long process before all the results work their way up to Abuja from the tens of thousands of polling units across the country.
BVAS might speed up the process this year, but Inec-appointed officials will still have to travel to Abuja from each of the 36 states with hard copies to be read aloud.
Only then will the Inec chairman announce a winner – or that a second round is needed.
How does the election work?
In order to win, a candidate has to obtain the highest number of votes nationwide, and more than a quarter of ballots cast in at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s states.
If none of the candidates manage this, there will be a second round run-off between the top two candidates within 21 days.
What are the main issues?
Reducing insecurity is one of the key concerns of voters, in a country which is currently experiencing a kidnapping-for-ransom crisis, battling militant Islamists groups in parts of the north and a separatist insurgency in the south-east.
Two of the most shocking cases last year were a mass shooting at a Catholic Church in Owo and the storming by gunmen of a passenger train in which dozens of people were killed or kidnapped.
Image caption,Peter Obi’s supporters, who appear to be younger Nigerians, are vocal on social media
President Buhari says he has fulfilled his promise to “frontally and courageously tackle terrorism”, but many Nigerians feel the country is still not safe.
The economy is another area of concern. Inflation now stands at 21.8%, according to the latest figures released this month. This rising cost of living has left many families struggling to make ends meet, with local media describing the situation as “dire”.
Unemployment is also a major problem, leaving many graduates fearful that they may not find work even after years of university study, which has prompted many to try and leave the country. Latest figures from the country’s National Bureau of Statistics show that 33% of the population is unemployed – jumping to 42.5% for younger adults.
Despite being a major oil producer, four out of 10 Nigerians live below the poverty line and “lack education and access to basic infrastructure, such as electricity, safe drinking water, and improved sanitation,” according to the World Bank.
Many of the candidates have put these issues at the centre of their campaigns.
But these problems have been mounting for several years, leaving some Nigerians sceptical about whether whoever wins the election will actually be able to fix them. Despite the large number of registered voters – 93.5 million – concerns persist about apathy and how many people will actually show up on the day to cast their ballot.
With almost 40% of registered voters under 34, the vote has been called the “election of young people” by elections chief Mahmood Yakubu.
‘Even doctors still in training plan to leave Nigeria’
What are the candidates’ main election promises?
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Nigeria election 2023: What are the parties promising you?
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Will the vote be free and fair?
In previous elections in Nigeria there have been credible reports of politicians rigging the polls, by either causing violence to scare away voters or snatching ballot boxes and stuffing them.
But the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) says the use of new technology will help ensure the ballot is secure and is not marred by fraud or rigging.
There are also concerns about politicians paying poor voters to back them, even at polling stations. On the eve of the election, a member of the House of Representatives was arrested with almost $500,000 (£419,000) in cash, and a list of people he was supposed to give it to, police say.
Inec has also said it is illegal for voters to take phones into the polling booths and take pictures of their ballot papers, as this proof is usually demanded by the vote buyers.
Some polling stations were attacked, especially in the south, with armed men stealing ballot boxes.
There have also been complaints about suspicious voter registration. Last year digital sleuths uncovered voter cards on the digital electoral register that appeared to have pictures of children on them. The legal age to vote in Nigeria is 18.
Some others on the preliminary list seemed to have registered more than once, by changing their facial expression, clothes or the way they were sitting.
At the time of the discoveries, Inec said it welcomed the help of Nigerians to clean up the register.
On 11 January, Inec released a new register, from which it said 53,264 ineligible voters had been removed. It also said that underage voters and vote buyers would be prosecuted.
What other elections are being held?
As well as the presidential vote, the public also chose their representatives for parliament – the National Assembly.
There are 469 legislators made up of 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives.
Two weeks later on 11 March there will also be elections to choose governors for 28 out of Nigeria’s 36 states.
What do you need to vote?
In order to vote, you need a valid Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), which essentially shows that you are registered to vote and proves the identity of the voter.
Image caption,Nigerians have to collect their Permanent Voters Registration card (PVC) to be eligible to vote
The PVC contains biometrical data of the voter, used as further verification on election day. This data is stored in the card.
On Thursday Inec announced that more than 87.2 million PVCs had been collected. More than 93 million people had registered to vote, which means that some six million people did not manage to collect their cards and so will not be able to cast their ballots.
Nigerians living in the diaspora were not allowed to vote abroad.
Are universities closed for the election?
Yes, the National Universities Commission has ordered the country’s universities to close from 22 February to 14 March, amid concerns about the safety and security of staff and students during the poll.
In January, the House of Representatives called for the suspension of academic courses to allow students to vote and enable them to participate in the democratic process.
Most of the students who have registered to vote did so during an eight-month university lecturers’ strike when classes were suspended, so they are likely to have registered in their home areas meaning the closure should make it easier for them to vote.
What does BVAS mean and how does it work?
This election is different to previous ones because a new system is being used – the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which is a device introduced by Inec in 2021 aimed at stopping election fraud.
The BVAS is essentially a small rectangular box with a screen that is more technologically advanced than the Smart Card Readers used in the past.
The key benefit of the BVAS is that it has the capacity to perform dual identification of voters on election day through their fingerprints and facial recognition. This should stop people without valid PVCs from voting, as well as those who are ineligible to vote attempting to do so.
Another aspect of the BVAS is that it uploads vote results directly to the Inec results portal for all to see, which in theory means results cannot be tampered with.
There have been concerns about the BVAS after it experienced glitches in state-wide elections in 2021 and 2022, but Inec insists these problems have been resolved.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been dedfeated the polling units of the First Lady’s family and the party’s governorship candidate, Sen. Aishatu Binani in Yola, to the Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The unit, 006 in Mbamoi Ward, was where her younger brother, Modi Halilu and Senator Aishatu Binani cast their votes.
Also, the suspended National Vice Chairman of the APC, North-East, Comrade Mustapha Salihu lost in his unit.
Despite securing his polling unit for the APC’s candidate, the Director of Field Operations of the Presidential Campaign Organization, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu lost in Bako Ward to Atiku Abubakar.
Mustapha lost his Unit 001 in Rumde Ward to PDP by 73 votes in the Presidential Election. In Bako Ward, APC polled 1,530 votes as against Atiku’s 2,195.
The highlights of the results are:
Ward: Mbamoi
Unit 006
Presidential
APC: 101
PDP: 129
LP: 2
APGA: 1
ADP: 1
NRM: 1
Senate
APC: 159
PDP: 69
NNPP: 2
ADC: 1
YPP: 11
House of Reps
APC: 148
PDP: 80
Invalid 6
Comrade Mustapha Salihu polling unit
001 Rumde Ward Presidential: PDP (220) and APC 143
As the results of the presidential and National Assembly elections started to trickle into the public domain and the collation centers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nationwide last night, confidence and excitement began to bubble in the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Early results from polling places in Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo, six South West states, showed that the APC presidential candidate was leading the pack while Peter Obi of the Labour Party dominated in the South East.
The Nation claims that Obi also made some progress in the PDP’s erstwhile strongholds of Delta and Edo as well as Lagos State.
At the Aso Rock Presidential Mansion in Abuja, nine out of the 13 voting units had been won by the Labour Party’s presidential candidate as of yesterday’s press time.
But, his performance in the North, where the APC and the PDP were sharing the popular vote across the region’s three geopolitical zones, was appalling. At the time of publication, the APC was doing well in Yobe and Sokoto State.
There has been a massive turnout of voters in Anambra state and across the south-east of Nigeria.
As early as 06:00 GMT (07:00 local time) voters started trickling into the polling centres.
They were soon filled up, as electoral officers arrived and set up their equipment for the vote to commence.
By noon, the centres were busy with hundreds of voters trooping in to exercise their franchise.
Many of the voters say they were encouraged to come out because of the heavy presence of security deployed across the region.
Security checks were mounted at major road intersections both in the towns and rural communities.
Movement has been restricted today across the country, leaving major roads empty here.
Anambra is the home state of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, who voted around noon along with his wife, at a polling centre near his house.
He has described the process as peaceful and well organised where he voted and noted that the security concerns in the south-east have been exaggerated.
In neighbouring Imo state electoral officers and voting materials were yet to arrive some polling centres by 13:00 GMT. Hundreds of voters say they have been waiting for hours to cast their vote, but so far, the wait has been in vain.
Enugu state, which also neighbours Anambra, has also seen a massive voter turnout. But most voters complain that the process of accreditation has been slow.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has won in Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-voting Rufai’s districts.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate, received 134 votes, falling short of Tinubu’s 173 vote total.
In the same Polling Unit 024, Ward 07, Ungwan Sarki, Kaduna, Labour Party (LP) scored three votes, while Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) got 20 votes.
The Deputy Governor declared that this was the quickest voting process he had ever seen in the history of the general elections in Nigeria. He cast his ballot at Ketso polling unit number 010, which is located at the Junior Secondary School Ketso in the state’s Mokwa local government area.
Having completed his voting and accreditation in less than a minute, he claimed it was the first time he had seen an election this quick in Nigeria and praised INEC for the innovative technology used.
“I want to appreciate the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC) for this new innovation that added value to the credibility of the elections and by so doing it will give us the required result at the end of the day,” he said.
He observed that the 2023 general elections were historic because it was an election that will usher in a new government, adding that it was a milestone that will further solidify the corporate existence and unity of Nigeria as a nation.
Ketso who is equally the State Coordinator of Tinubu-Shettima Grassroots Independent Campaign Council (ICC) said we all owe the country a lot by participating in the election and choosing those that will lead us, urging Nigerians and particularly Nigerlites to exercise their civic right by going out to vote just as he did and devoid of any crisis.
The Presiding Officer (PO) of the polling unit, Garba Suleiman said the process was smooth and hitch-free and that they have no any challenge, not even with the new technology, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Nigeria’s 2023 presidential elections that begun yesterday has recorded violence in some states.
Even though videos circulating on social media does not come as a surprise, the world was somewhat anticipating Nigeria will for once be said of conducting elections void of violence.
But the evidence on netizans has not changed the status quo attributed to Nigerians.
Here are tweets of the chaos and violence that ensued yesterday;
This one thief ballot box, dem Don catch . You see how APC is putting these guys’ lives in danger🙄🙄 See how they beat him black n blue
The youth are angry cause Wike collided with the INEC officials and Igwurita LG chairman to rig election in some polling unit in Rivers State. This is sad 🙁
The man is one of the agbero chairman in Isashi Ojo, LHA he went with some of his tugs to distract people from voting, and people beat him shitless. Imagine this old agbero☹️☹️
– Mahmud yakubu APC 0 kastina toyin Abraham toke tobe wait4inecresult obiakpor sanwolu Rivers Bauchi pic.twitter.com/UyzP0Cx0KK
See beating..those who no wan hear gp hear by force😁✊🏿
– Katsina • The LP • Kano • North • NNPP • Abuja Labour Party • Toyin Abraham • Alimosho Enugu Peter Obi Chidinma omuodofin done and dusted lekkiAPC #VoteLabourParty Festac Imo State Delta State Delete Anambra pic.twitter.com/KYglsIMmFV
-Amuwo Odofin VOID yorubas Kano Warri south Peter Obi of Labour Party Lagos and Rivers Soldiers Falz Mc oluomo The LP sangotedo pic.twitter.com/UZ2tf6nJuP
These thugs reaping the seed they sow☹️MC oluomo boys is next..
– Katsina • The LP • Kano • North • NNPP • Abuja Labour Party • Toyin Abraham • Alimosho Enugu Peter Obi Chidinma omuodofin done and dusted lekkiAPC #VoteLabourParty Festac Imo State Delta State pic.twitter.com/fLWcl4PJeW
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council has urgedPresident Muhammadu Buhariand the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to summon Bola Tinubu to order after a newspaper company allegedly owned by the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate claimed that Tinubu would lead in three geopolitical zones on Saturday’s election.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Dele Momodu, Director of Strategic Communications of the council, it described the publication as reckless.
The council pointed out that Tinubu is the only mainstream presidential candidate in the election whose base was decimated by the opposition, saying that its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is the only one with national spread.
The statement noted how Tinubu tried to bully Buhari to abandon his cashless policy, noting that the APC flag-bearer however succeeded in intimidating the President to display his ballot paper confirming that he voted for him.
The statement reads: “Our attention has just been drawn to the recklessly dangerous publication unilaterally awarding an impossible victory to the APC Presidential candidate Chief Bola Tinubu. The said newspaper is owned by Tinubu.
“Only yesterday, we all saw how thugs of the APC Chieftains and his allies took over the streets of Lagos burning ballot boxes and documents and generally misbehaving in other to disenfranchise the determined electorates.
“Despite all of these ugly attempts at stealing victory, the APC suffered its worst cataclysmic loss in most of the polling centres in Lagos. The same happened in Kano.
“Incapable of ever being sobered by the crushing humiliation in its traditional territories, we woke up this morning to read about the pathetic and illegal lies cooked up by the Tinubu media goons.
“Tinubu remains the only mainstream candidate whose home base of South West was decimated by opposition parties in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti.
“Most of the Northern Governors he also expected to help him garner votes in the Northern regions failed spectacularly to deliver the badly needed votes. He failed in the South East and South-South.
The tightest presidential race in Nigeria since the end of military rule in 1999 is currently going through the counting process.
Several youthful, first-time voters arrived early to cast their ballots, indicating that turnout was high.
Long lines at the polls on Saturday and sporadic claims of ballot box stealing and armed man attacks hampered the voting process.
Voting continued throughout the night in some areas, and was postponed until Sunday in parts of Bayelsa state.
In at least five states, voting in some places did not begin until around 18:00 local time – one-and-a-half hours after polls were due to close.
There is tension in parts of Rivers and Lagos states, where some political parties have asked their members to go to the centres where votes are being collated, over fears that they are being manipulated.
There have also been complaints over the use of the recently introduced electronic voting system with many voters accusing electoral officials of refusing to upload the results at the polling units as they are supposed to.
However, in those areas where voting went smoothly, results are already being posted outside individual polling stations.
Nigeria decides: Voting day as it happened
The elections are the biggest democratic exercise in Africa, with 87 million people eligible to vote.
Politics has been dominated by two parties – the ruling APC and the PDP – since the restoration of multi-party democracy 24 years ago.
But this time, there is also a strong challenge from a third-party candidate in the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari – from the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, who is backed by many young people.
The APC is represented by former Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu, while former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is running for the PDP.
The results from tens of thousands of polling stations around the country are being collated and sent to the electoral headquarters in the capital Abuja.
The final result is not expected until at least Tuesday.
At a press briefing on Saturday, electoral chief Mahmood Yakubu apologised for the delays in voting.
The election day was largely peaceful, but there have been reports from Lagos of violence and ballot boxes being snatched. Some voters complained of being attacked and chased away from polling stations.
In other places, people reported being asked to either vote for a particular candidate or leave.
Mr Yakubu said that armed men had also attacked some polling units in the southern state of Delta and the northern state of Katsina, where voter-card verification machines were carted away.
They were subsequently replaced and security boosted to allow voting to take place, he added.
In the north-eastern state of Borno, Mr Yakubu said that militant Islamists had opened fire on electoral officers from a mountain top in the Gwoza area, injuring a number of officials.
Image caption,Voting carried on through the night in some areas
The lead-up to the polls was overshadowed by a cash shortage caused by a botched attempt to redesign the currency, leading to widespread chaos at banks and cash machines as desperate people sought access to their money.
The new notes were introduced in order to tackle inflation, and also vote-buying. On the eve of the election a member of the House of Representatives was arrested with almost $500,000 (£419,000) in cash, and a list of people he was supposed to give it to, police say.
Whoever wins will have to deal with a crumbling economy, high youth unemployment, and widespread insecurity which saw 10,000 killed last year.
Voters also cast their ballots for 109 federal senators and 360 members of the house of representatives, with another vote for state governors in March.
The election has seen a huge interest from young people – a third of eligible voters are below 35.
Mr Obi, 61, is hoping to break up Nigeria’s two-party system after joining the Labour Party last May.
Although he was in the PDP before then, he is seen as a relatively fresh face and enjoys fervent support among some sections of Nigeria’s youth, especially in the south.
The wealthy businessman served as governor of the south-eastern Anambra State from 2006 to 2014. His backers, known as the “OBIdients”, say he is the only candidate with integrity, but his critics argue that a vote for him is wasted as he is unlikely to win.
Who is Peter Obi?
Instead, the PDP, which ruled until 2015, wants Nigerians to vote for Mr Abubakar, 76 – the only major candidate from the country’s mainly Muslim north.
He has run for the presidency five times before – all of which he has lost. He has been dogged by accusations of corruption and cronyism, which he denies.
Most of his career has been spent in the corridors of power, having worked as a top civil servant, vice-president and a prominent businessman.
Who is Atiku Abubakar?
Most people consider the election a referendum on the APC, which has overseen a period of economic hardship and worsening insecurity.
Its candidate, Mr Tinubu, 70, is credited with building Nigeria’s commercial hub Lagos, during his two terms as governor until 2007.
He is known as a political godfather in the south-west region, where he wields huge influence, but like Mr Abubakar, has also been dogged by allegations of corruption over the years and poor health, both of which he denies.
Who is Bola Tinubu?
A candidate needs to have the most votes and 25% of ballots cast in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states to be declared the winner.
Otherwise, there will be a run-off within 21 days – a first in Nigeria’s history.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) results viewing page has accepted election results for the Saturday presidential and national assembly elections.
The local media earlier reported some concerned Nigerians had called out the Commission for flouting promise made on uploading results of elections in different polling units across the country as they are sorted, counted, and collated.
Recall on November 22, the INEC chairman, Yakubu Mahmoud, said there is no going back on its decision to upload the results of the 2023 general elections on its portal to enable Nigerians to have a real-time view of the results as they are being collated.
Social media is buzzing with messages predicting Peter Obi will certainly win Nigeria’s 2023 election as President.
This comes following observations of how some members of some constituencies share results emerging from various polling station.
It appears all the tweets has high number of votes going in favour of Peter.
Below are the displayed results from twitter:
Comrade JIMMY has delivered his polling unit to LP The polling unit na APC strong hold but OBIDIENTS no dey look face LP 79 APC 59 PDP 4 NNPP 1 Oba Elegushi Toyin Abraham Surulere Lagos Rivers Kano #ObiWon Peter Obi Atiku Kwankwaso MC Oluomo LP APC PDP NNPP#SituationReportpic.twitter.com/P1LJ0ZpqBc
— Sarima👩🏫👩🎓♥️ Obidient and yusful❤️🇮🇹🇳🇬 (@AmaraBlessing_) February 25, 2023
Labour Party won in my pooling unit. Similar results in over 15 pooling unit around my area. Massive win for Labour Party. We are the real city boy #ObiWon#NigeriaDecides Peter Obi wonPresidential Election at Ilaje/Akoka ward. Lp 104 Apc 41 Pdp 12 Nnpp 2 Add 1 App 3 Invalid 2 pic.twitter.com/z6jEIPPqA4
In Rivers state, bcos of Wike bad decision, PDP is gone, it’s LP all through even though who didn’t campaign all. 199 people voted Presidential, 2 APC, like 7 Invalid, Peter Obi 190 -Open Space Rumuodara, Rivers #ObiWon#SituationReport#NigeriaDecides2023 Labour Party pic.twitter.com/MHRyIOzMtS
Labour Party won in my pooling unit. Similar results in over 15 pooling unit around my area. Massive win for Labour Party. We are the real city boy #ObiWon#NigeriaDecides Peter Obi wonPresidential Election at Ilaje/Akoka ward. Lp 104 Apc 41 Pdp 12 Nnpp 2 Add 1 App 3 Invalid 2 pic.twitter.com/z6jEIPPqA4
Former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, today prayed that Nigerians who are eligible to vote experience a peaceful election that is free from violence and rigging, even as voting commenced very late at his polling unit 39, ward 13, in his country home, Otuoke Community of Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.
Dr. Jonathan who voted about 12 noon due to delay in the arrival of material, a situation that also affected other parts of the state, said he was was worried when he got to his polling unit at 8:30am and did not meet any INEC official or see election materials.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after casting his vote, Jonathan said “let me thank all of you that are involve in the electoral process on the election day, the inec staff, media people, the security and the government, sometimes things seem so easy but practically is a bit difficult and I am happy that I voted, I was a bit worried when I got here at 8:30 and there was nobody and this is almost to 12 and I have voted .
“Election has commenced in this polling unit, which means we have tried. We have started election and my wish for Nigeria is for us to conduct a peaceful election, and for us who are politicians, our conduct matters a lot. And I always tell politicians, the means you can use to win election is not violence.
“When you use violence to win election or buying votes, when you do that, you are simply behaving like an arm robber or a con man who rather makes money through robbery. The irony is that everybody will know that you are a con man, a con man who makes money through deceiving people.
For me, politicians are suppose to be decent members of the society, so we must conduct ourselves decently both supporters, relatives and friends. We must understand that it is our duty to make politics a clean business, so that people can be free to voters the candidate they prefer.
“My plea is that politicians should realize that the whole world is looking at us and so many senior global citizens are in Nigeria because of this election, and they want us to succeed, So, we must not fail.”
The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has won the first polling unit to be declared in the Aso Rock, Abuja vicinity.
At PU 131, which is one of the several units around the premises, he polled 17 votes to beat the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu who got six votes, and their counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, who garnered three votes.
Voting in most polling units in Nyanya, Abuja, has ended officially at 2.30 pm, as voters in the area expressed happiness describing the process as peaceful.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the voters conducted themselves in an orderly manner, while INEC officials and security agencies performed their duties.
Mr Emeka Nwaobodo, a voter at polling unit 24, Redeemed Christian Church, Nyanya, told NAN that the voting atmosphere was peace and calm.
He described the peaceful atmosphere as a departure from previous elections, calling for consolidation of same in future elections.
Nwaobodo commended the security agents and INEC officials that ensured voters remained orderly during accreditation and the voting process.
Mrs Vera Ochai, a voter, who described the exercise at her polling unit 39 as “great”, said she was fulfilled, given the orderly and peaceful nature of the voting process.
This, she attributed to the activities of INEC and the security officials stationed at the polling units.
She commended voters for their support through their orderly conduct all through the voting.
Miss Chioma Amuta, a voter at Nyanya polling unit 005, who also commended INEC and security agencies for the orderly conduct of the election, said “this is an indication that my vote will count.”
She said that going forward, efforts should be made to sustain the success recorded, especially the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and called for introduction of other advanced technological equipment, in line with global best practices in subsequent elections.
NAN reports that some of the units where voting officially ended in Nyanya and sorting and counting of ballot papers are in progress include polling units 063, 064, 030, 038, 039, 005, 024 023, and 022, among many others.
Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) equipment have been stolen in Katsina and Delta states, according to Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking during a briefing at the collation centre in Abuja on Saturday, Yakubu stated that the electoral process had encountered some challenges across the country, including logistic and security issues.
Yakubu reported that the BVAS had functioned optimally in most parts of the country and that complaints about its functionality were minimal.
Thugs destroy ballot boxes in Oba Elegushi area of Lagos.
However, he acknowledged that the inability to open polling units at 8:30 am in some locations had been a challenge. This was due to logistic problems, despite the commission’s best efforts, and insecurity.
Yakubu also reported that thugs had attacked a polling unit in Oshimili, Delta state, and stolen two BVAS machines.
However, INEC replaced the stolen machines, restored security, and ensured that voting continued. Similarly, in Safana LGA of Katsina state, thugs attacked voting locations and snatched six BVAS machines, but INEC had been able to use spare machines and reinforce security for voting to continue. While security agencies have recovered three of the stolen BVAS machines, three are still in the hands of the thugs.
Yakubu noted that the attacks targeted the BVAS machines and not the ballot boxes. In conclusion, he expressed optimism that the electoral process would continue smoothly, despite the challenges encountered so far.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has explained that the G-5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have withdrawn from talking regularly in public to embark on strategic actions in silence in order to achieve set goals…
Governors and ministers from the South-West of Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, and Ekiti, including the immediate past governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Oyetola, will grace the rescheduled presidential rally of the All Progressives Congress…
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has faulted the implementation of the Naira swap policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as shoddy and political…
The Supreme Court of Nigeria will today resume hearing in the suit brought by three states, against the federal government over the controversial currency swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria…
Pep Guardiola is unsure if Erling Haaland will be available for Manchester City’s huge Premier League showdown with title rivals Arsenal…
Recently, the Ogun State police command confirmed the arrest of a 46-year-old man, Azeez Hassan, who set his wife, Olayinka Hassan, on fire for failing to cook for him. The suspect, who had been on the run since October 22, 2022…
The House of Representatives for Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency in the Edo State election has been put on hold, following the omission of the Labour Party (LP) logo from the ballot paper.
The situation has however led to tension as some angry voters openly denounce the move as an attempt to manipulate the election.
Though accreditation and voting have commenced in some polling units in Esan Central, Esan West and Igueben Local Government Areas, the absence of the Labour Party logo on the ballot paper.
There are also reports of non-arrival of electoral materials in ward 7 unit 5 and all the polling units at Emuhi in Esan West Local Government Area.
Attempts to reach the Electoral Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Esan West Local Government Area proved abortive as he’s said to be on the field monitoring the distribution of electoral materials.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has explained that the G-5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have withdrawn from talking regularly in public to embark on strategic actions in silence in order to achieve set goals…
Some persons suspected to be political thugs have reportedly disrupted the voting exercise at a polling unit in 254 Borno Way, Ebute-Metta area of Lagos State.
According to a source, bottles were broken by the thugs to scare people away, disrupting the exercise
Sources confirmed that the military and police together with more senior INEC officials have shown up in the area.
Voting was said to have been cancelled by the INEC officials, citing the Electoral Act.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has explained that the G-5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have withdrawn from talking regularly in public to embark on strategic actions in silence in order to achieve set goals…
Governors and ministers from the South-West of Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, and Ekiti, including the immediate past governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Oyetola, will grace the rescheduled presidential rally of the All Progressives Congress…
Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has expressed confidence that his hard work during the campaign will be rewarded by Nigerians with their votes.
Speaking to journalists after casting his vote at polling unit 085, ward 3, Alausa, Ikeja in Lagos State, Tinubu claimed to have worked harder than any other candidate in the country.
He stated, “I am very confident. I worked hard for it. I traverse the country sometimes four times and attended town hall meetings and various interest groups. I have attended to their request and I have worked hard than any other candidate in this country. I believe Nigeria will reward me, they will reward my hard work.”
Tinubu further declared that if elected, his government would be transformative and work hard to change the economic crisis in the country.
He acknowledged that the economic crisis was affecting the entire world and called for a recalibration.
The former Governor of Lagos State also urged Nigerians to remain respected democrats throughout the electioneering process.
Tinubu was accompanied by his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as he cast his vote amidst a mammoth crowd at the polling unit, which had a total of 324 voters. The atmosphere was reported to be calm as voters continued to exercise their franchise.
In order to reduce crowding in polling places that were deemed to be overcrowded, the electoral authority transferred numerous voters from some polling places to others.
Such reassigned voters were instructed to visit a URL provided by the electoral umpire to confirm the new polling places after INEC informed them via text messages that they had been transferred to units close to their original voting units.
Nigeria faces troubling times amid economic woes and insecurity challenges and the presidential poll will be a major decider in the fate of over 200 million people in the next four years. At least 93,469,008 eligible Nigerian voters will go to the polls on Saturday, February 25 to elect the next President of the most populous black African nation among 18 of the contestants.
Meet the 18 presidential candidates:
Imumolen Christopher – Accord Party (AP)
Arguably the youngest of the candidates, Imumolen Christopher, 39, is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering who hails from the Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State. His running mate, Bello Bala Maru, is from northern Nigeria.
Hamza Al-Mustapha, 62, a former Chief Security Officer to the late Nigerian Head of State, General Sani Abacha is an alumnus of the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna. He was a career military officer for about two decades. Not a newbie in the race, Al-Mustapha, from Yobe in Nigeria’s North-East was the presidential candidate of the defunct Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) in 2019. He has a southerner, Johnson Emmanuel Chukwuka, as his running mate.
Sani Yabagi Yusuf – Action Democratic Party (ADP)
Yabaji Sani Yusuf, 68, doubles as the National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) as well as the Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC). He holds a first degree, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission. He is running alongside, Udo Okey Okoro.
Omoyele Sowore, 51, from Ondo State in South-West Nigeria is a graduate of the University of Lagos. Sowore has been detained a number of times by the Department of State Services for human rights activism. He previously ran for president in 2019 under the banner of the AAC but lost. He is running alongside a northerner, 45-year-old Magashi Garba.
Kachikwu Dumebi – African Democratic Congress (ADC)
Kachikwu Dumebi is a media entrepreneur and founder of Roots Television Nigeria. The 40-year-old is a younger brother of a former Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu. A first-timer in the presidential race, Dumebi, from Delta State, is running for Aso Rock top job with a northern running mate, Buhari Muhammed.
Bola Tinubu – All Progressives Congress (APC)
Bola Tinubu was governor of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, from May 1999 to May 2007. He was the Senator for Lagos West in the brief Third Republic. The 70-year-old politician, according to INEC data, has a Bachelor of Science in Business and Administration. Tinubu, the flag bearer of the President’s party, is running alongside a former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima.
Peter Umeadi – All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
Peter Umeadi, a Professor of Law at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, is a former Chief Judge of Anambra State. The 67-year-old academic-turn-politician from the South-East geopolitical zone has a northerner, Mohammed Koli, 65, has his running mate.
Ojei Princess Chichi – Allied People’s Movement (APM)
The only female presidential candidate in the race, Delta-born Ojei, 44, was educated at the American International School and the Agos Lerosey Rolle, Switzerland, according to INEC. The daughter of Emmanuel Ojei, the founder, chairman and chief executive of Nuel Ojei Holdings, also a first-timer, is running alongside Ibrahim Mohammed.
Nnadi Charles Osita – Action Peoples Party (APP)
Nnadi Charles Osita, 49, is one of the first-timers in the race. The APP candidate has first school leaving certificate Senior Secondary School Certificate, according to INEC data. He has a northerner, Hamisu Isah as his running mate.
Sunday Adenuga – Boot Party (BP)
Sunday Adenuga, 48, doubles as the national chairman of the Boot Party. Adenuga is a technology expert who has worked on projects by the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The first-timer from the southern region of Nigeria is running alongside a northerner, Usman Mustapha.
Peter Obi – Labour Party (LP)
Peter Obi, a graduate of Philosophy from the University of Nigeria (UNN), is a former Governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014. The 61-year-old businessman was the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections but left the party early 2022 to clinch the LP presidential ticket. Many pre-election polls have predicted victory for Obi, who is running alongside Kaduna-based Datti Baba-Ahmed.
Felix Johnson Osakwe – National Rescue Movement (NRM)
Though not a neophyte, Felix Johnson Osakwe hails from Delta State. The development expert has a Master of Science degree and is running with Kyabo Yahaya Muhammad.
Rabiu Kwankwaso – New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP)
Rabiu Kwankwaso, 66, is a former governor of Kano State, and an ex- Minister of Defence. The PhD holder commands a “cut-like following” in North-West Nigeria with his socio-political movement, Kwankwasiyya movement with strong presence in Kano and other states. Pre-election polls have positioned Kwankwaso as one of the top four contenders in Niger’a’s 2023 presidential poll. The ex-governor, known for his red cap, is running alongside a southerner, Isaac Idahosa.
Atiku Abubakar – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
A former Vice President from 1999 to 2007, Atiku Abubakar, 75, is ranked as one of the top four contenders for the poll. The former customs officer has aimed ambitiously at Nigeria’s top seat in Aso Rock for about three decades. Atiku was PDP presidential candidate in 2019 but came second with over 11 million votes, closely behind the winner, Muhammadu Buhari who polled over 15 million votes. Atiku is running this time with Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.
Kola Abiola – Peoples Redemption Party (PRP)
Kola Abiola is the son of the late Moshood Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election. The Master degree holder and businessman is running alongside Zego Haro Haruna, a northerner.
Adewole Adebayo – Social Democratic Party (SDP)
Adewole Adebayo, 50, is a lawyer and philanthropist from Ondo State in South-West Nigeria. The public commentator is running alongside Buhari Yusuf.
Ado-Ibrahim Malik – Young Progressive Party (YPP)
Ado-Ibrahim Malik is one of the sons of the Ohinoyi of Ebira land in Kogi, AbdulRahman Ado-Ibrahim. The 58-year-old economics graduate and rights activist has a southerner, Enyinna Kasarachi, 44, as his running mate.
Nwanyanwu Daniel – Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
Dan Nwanyanwu, 62 doubles as the party’s national chairman. The Imo-born politician and lawyer is running alongside a northerner, Abubakar Jibrin.
The refusal of the BVAS to accredit Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and his wife prevented them from voting at their designated polling place, Ward 9, Unit 7, in the Obio/Akpo Local Government Area. The BVAS was unable to identify the wife of Governor Wike’s fingerprint or face, despite the efforts of the presiding officer, Agatha Abiokun.
The governor responded by expressing his dissatisfaction and saying INEC should have made sure all equipment was in working order before the election. The BVAS’s delayed operation, which can potentially deny voters their right to vote and cause discontent, was another issue he raised.
“We are highly disappointed. If a number of people are disenfranchised, what do you expect? People will lose their temper and anything could happen,” he said.
The governor, who had waited for about 25 minutes, was told to come back later as an INEC technician had been sent to rectify the problem. Despite the setback, other voters remained patient and waited to see what would happen next.
Wike urged INEC to put all necessary measures in place to ensure a smooth electoral process and prevent any potential violence. As of the time of the report, the governor was still waiting at the polling unit for INEC to rectify the BVAS and enable him to cast his vote.
A large number of Catholic Reverend Sisters troop out in their numbers at Polling Unit 008 Pastoral Centre, Abakaliki to cast their votes as accreditation and voting begin in the area.
Tribune online also gathered that older people and people living with disability were given special treatment in the area, and security personnel were also seen in the peaceful area.
However, some of the voters who spoke with Tribune Online said they came out to vote for the right candidates to end suffering in the country.
The Labour Party’s nominee for president, Peter Obi, has voiced confidence in the current election, stating he is not seeking a position in another cabinet but is just coasting to victory.
This was said by the LP presidential candidate while addressing the media at his voting location, PU 019, Umudimakasi Square, Agulu, Anambra State.
“People are coming out to vote to make sure the Labour Party wins.”
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, is denied the opportunity to cast his ballot at Shettimari Polling Unit 001 in the Lawan Bukar ward of Maiduguri metropolis on Saturday, February 25.
The obvious lack of election authorities at the designated polling location was the cause of this.
A substantial number of other voters were waiting impatiently for the arrival of the authorities and voting materials when Shettima arrived at the polling place about 10 a.m.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State was in attendance to offer his support to the APC Vice Presidential hopeful. However, after waiting patiently for about 10 minutes, they both had to leave without being able to exercise their civic duty.
Meanwhile, voting activities had already kicked off in several other polling units located within the metropolis, with reports of seamless and incident-free exercises. This recent development has once again highlighted the need for proper planning and organization by relevant authorities to ensure that such occurrences are avoided in future elections.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has explained that the G-5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have withdrawn from talking regularly in public to embark on strategic actions in silence in order to achieve set goals…
Governors and ministers from the South-West of Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, and Ekiti, including the immediate past governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Oyetola, will grace the rescheduled presidential rally of the All Progressives Congress…
President Muhammadu Buhari has been cited displaying his voting paper while casting a ballot with his wife, Aisha, in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.
The president of the All Progressives Congress (APC) whose two terms of eight years each end on May 29, 2023, is a supporter of Bola Tinubu, the party’s nominee.
He told reporters that everyone has one vote and urged Nigerians to cast those votes for the candidate of their choosing.
The local media has received a report that the the Labour Party chairman who coordinated pre-election activities of the party till late Friday night and was said to have been eagerly awaiting the commencement of voting on Saturday.
His body has now been deposited in Asokoro Hospital mutuary in the nation’s capital.
