TheNewsGuru

Tag: 2023 Governorship Election

  • 2023 Gubernatorial Elections: Checkout all the winners declared by INEC at a glance

    2023 Gubernatorial Elections: Checkout all the winners declared by INEC at a glance

    Winners have emerged from Nigeria’s March 18th Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections, and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has so far secured 14 governorship seats.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won governorship seats in seven states, while the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) wrestled power from the APC in Kano state, according to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Eight governors have been re-elected for a second term. They are: Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe (APC), Seyi Makinde of Oyo (PDP), Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos (APC), Dapo Abiodun of Ogun (APC), Bala Mohammed of Bauchi (PDP), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara (APC), Mai Mala Buni of Yobe (APC) and Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno (APC).

    The new Governors-elect are: Umo Eno of Akwa-Ibom (PDP), Dikko Radda of Katsina (APC), Umar Bago of Niger (APC), Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto (APC), Umar Namadi of Jigawa (APC), Uba Sani of Kaduna (APC) and Kefas Agbu of Taraba (PDP).

    Others are:  Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta (PDP), Hyacinth Alia of Benue (APC), Bassey Otu of Cross River (APC), Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi (APC), Sim Fubara of Rivers (PDP), Abba Yusuf of Kano (NNPP) and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau (PDP).

    INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, announced on Monday that the Commission had suspended further collation of governorship election results in some parts of Abia and Enugu states, where thugs reportedly disrupted the election process.

    “Arising from the meeting, the Commission took the decision to suspend forthwith further collation of the Governorship election results in some parts of Abia and Enugu States”, he stated, adding that this will allow for a thorough review of results from the affected areas.

    In Adamawa State and Kebbi states, the elections have been declared inconclusive. While Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa (PDP) has polled 421,524 votes to maintain a clear lead ahead of his closest rival Aishatu Dahiru (APC), famously known as Binani who has 390, 275 votes, the election was declared inconclusive due to the margin of votes.

    The INEC state collation and returning officer, Muhammadu Mele of the University of Maiduguri, said elections were not held in 47 wards, affecting 69 polling units and it is widely believed that Binani, a former senator who is very popular, stands a good chance of becoming Nigeria’s first female Governor.

    “So, this gives us a margin of 31,249. The total number of PVCs collected in places where elections were not held amounted to 37,016,” Mele said.

    The electoral law provides that where the margin between two candidates is lesser than the total number of collected PVCs in areas where elections were not held, the election is to be declared inconclusive.

    As for Kebbi state, the election was declared inconclusive due to overvoting.  The state’s collation and returning officer, Yusuf Sa’idu of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, said that the figures of results got from some polling units exceeded the number of accredited voters.

    “When we checked the results, the two leading political parties in this contest, APC and PDP, polled 388,258 and 342,980 votes respectively. When we look at the difference, it stands at 45,278,” Sa’idu said.

    All the elected Governors have extended open hands of fellowship to lovers and opposition political parties, promising an inclusive government towards the development of their States.

  • Analysis: Violence, voter suppression and apathy taint Nigeria’s governorship and state assembly elections

    Analysis: Violence, voter suppression and apathy taint Nigeria’s governorship and state assembly elections

    There were cases of violence and voter suppression reported across several states on Saturday March 18, as Nigeria held its Governorship and State House of Assembly elections nationwide.

    States such as Benue, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Ogun and Lagos, experienced varying degrees of viciousness against voters, observers and journalists.

    In Imo state for example, as much as 19 ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were kidnapped in the early hours of Saturday and also the police immediately swung into action and ensured the release of the abductees, sensitive election materials, including BVAS machines were carted away.

    Similarly, thugs stormed polling units in Yenagoa constituency II, ward 8 and Ekeremor constituency 1, ward 1, unit 15 of Bayelsa state and carted away some election materials, while destroying others and disrupting the voting process.

    An election observer in Ekiti state, Sunday Awosoro, reported harassment by suspected thugs at Irepodun/Ifelodun, in the Igede area of the state, while staff of Arise TV were reportedly brutalised in the Elegushi Palace area of Lagos State whilst covering the elections and their cameras and drone were seized.

    A Vanguard Editor, Prince Osuagwu, was also harassed by thugs in the Satellite area of Lagos state, on the allegation that he was using a spy pen to record activities at a polling unit in the area, which turned out to be false.

    Meanwhile, INEC has postponed Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections in 10 polling units in the Victoria Garden City (VGC) around the Lekki area of the state where elections did not hold.

    The Lagos state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Segun Agbaje, said the ad hoc staff deployed to the VGC estate became hesitant to conduct the elections in the venue, alleging that they were held hostage by residents during the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The staff instead set up voting materials in front of the estate, but residents claimed they did not feel safe about the new venue as hoodlums could disrupt the process.

    “After due consultation and further directive from the national headquarters that we should remobilise here tomorrow (Sunday) morning by 08:30am to conduct the elections, Agbaje said.

    Thugs also attacked a journalist working for Premier Radio in Kano state, Ashiru Umar, at Gidan Galadima, Galadanci Primary School, Gwale local government area, thinking that he had captured them while snapping voters who show up their ballot papers to them after casting votes, allegedly in return for some gift items later.

    Low voter turnout was also reported in many polling units, compared to the impressive turnout for the Presidential elections held two weeks ago.

    The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) also observed that in many voting centres, accreditation and voting commenced late.

    “From the data gathered across 18 states at the time of analysis, CJID observed that elections started late in most states, that is, after 10:00 a.m. as against the 8.30 a.m. opening time,” the organisation said.

    “From the data received, only 20 per cent of the polling units observed started election processes before 8:30 a.m…” The CJID deployed 56 observers across 31 states to observe the election day activities.

    Voting has ended in most polling units across the country, while collation and counting of votes is underway.

  • LAGOS SITUATION REPORT: Electorates lament how alleged APC thugs stop them from voting (VIDEOS)

    LAGOS SITUATION REPORT: Electorates lament how alleged APC thugs stop them from voting (VIDEOS)

    Just as Nigerians stepped out on Saturday, March 18, 2023, to elect 28 state governors, 993 state lawmakers, like Nollywood Actress, Chioma Akpotha, many have been attacked by alleged All Progressives Congress (APC) thugs at different polling units in Lagos.

     

    According to one Preach love: “APC thugs came out and were seen roaming the streets, threatening people who they suspected would not vote for APC, saying ‘If you don’t want to vote for APC, stay in your house.’ the police always dismiss it as a joke.”

     

    Sangotedo Eti-Osa

    An electorate, T.Jay, stated: “This happened in my polling unit at Sangotedo Eti-Osa, they pursued us with canes back our houses. Even the military men wanted to save the situation but they got order from the top to leave the area. They chased everyone away at my polling unit, aside APC Voters. This is Lakowe in Ibeju Lekki.”

    APC Thugs flogging people who want to vote for Labor Party at Shomolu in Abiodun Street.

    Ikota

    “They are telling people from Imo, Abia, Enugu, Anambra etc to go back to their state and vote. This is happening at Ikota Primary School Lagos,” Preach love added.

    Mainland LGA

    “Happening now at Mainland LGA, Lagos. Individuals are being chased away, while only APC supporters are allowed to vote,” T.Jay asserted.

    The governorship and the state houses of assembly elections are taking place today across Nigeria.

    Also holding today are the Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency election halted during the 25 February Presidential and National Assembly polls as a result of the omission of the Labour Party logo and that of the Enugu East Senatorial District which was shifted following the killing of Oyibo Chukwu, the party’s candidate in the district, on 22 February.

    The state elections, the second phase of the 2023 General Elections, was initially scheduled for 11 March but deferred by one week following a Court of Appeal order granting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permission to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the exercise. This followed the 3 March ex-parte order of the court given to some political parties to inspect materials used for the presidential poll whose results they are challenging.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that last month’s elections held in 470 constituencies comprising 109 senatorial districts, 360 federal constituencies and one presidential.

    Today’s governorship elections will hold in 28 out of the 36 states of the federation.

    Elections will not be conducted in Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun States where off-cycle polls are held at different times.

    The electoral calendars of those states were altered due to judicial pronouncements. INEC has already scheduled the elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo for November.

    The exercise will not also hold in the FCT (Abuja) because it has neither a governor nor an assembly. The territory is administered by the federal government through a ministry and the National Assembly where it is represented by a senator and two members in the House of Representatives.

    All 18 registered political parties are fielding over 400 governorship candidates in the 28 states in today’s contest. The breakdown shows that Abia, Akwa Ibom, Plateau and Taraba States have the highest number of candidates with 18 each followed closely by Delta, Enugu, Kano, Rivers and Sokoto with 17 candidates each. Cross River and Yobe have the least number of candidates with 11 each.