Nigeria appears to be at the cusp of history with yesterday’s election indicating that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, may clinch a majority of the votes in the presidential poll.

Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost at the polling unit at the seat of power, Aso Villa, Abuja.

Many of his cabinet members, including the minister of education, Ibrahim Shekarau, his Federal Capital Territory (FCT)counterpart, Bala Mohammed, and the minister of state (II) for foreign affairs, posted dismal results in their home units. Many other high-profile politicians lost their polling units to opposition parties.

At his polling unit in Giginyu Ward in Nassarawa local government area of Kano State, Shekarau, suffered a wide-margin defeat.

The former governor who ruled the state between 2003 and 2001 lost his unit to the APC candidate, Buhari, who scored 324 votes. The PDP polled just 17 votes. Giginyu ward is one of the largest units in Kano.

FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, also lost his Jubril Aminu Secondary School polling unit to the APC. In the presidential election, PDP scored only 96 while the APC received 326 votes. For the Senate results, the PDP scored 116 while the APC got 301. In the House of Representatives, the PDP got 102 while the APC received 310.

The minister of foreign affairs (II), Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, also bit the dust as he failed to win his Ikoyi polling unit for President Jonathan and the PDP. In the presidential result, it was APC 62, PDP 38; in the Senate poll, APC got 58, PDP 44; in the House of Reps, APC got 56, PDP 38.

Similarly, Odua People’s Congress (OPC) leader, Ganiyu Adams, a staunch Jonathan supporter who recently made headlines with group’s his rally in Lagos, also lost his ward to the APC. In the OPC leader’s ward, it was APC 155, PDP 45.

APC floors PDP in Aso Rock polling unit

Another upset occurred at the polling unit closest to the seat power as the results of the presidential election in polling unit 022 at the presidential villa, Abuja, showed that the APC (Buhari) defeated PDP (Jonathan) with about 93 votes. According to the result after the election of the presidential poll, APC scored 334 votes, while PDP got 241.

The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) trailed behind with 45 votes, while Labour got 11 votes. Invalid votes were 16.

Sam Nda-Isaiah wins unit in Niger for APC

The chairman, LEADERSHIP Group, and former presidential aspirant of the APC, Sam Nda-Isaiah, won his polling unit at the Kofar Danjuma Mainadi in Chachanga local government area of Niger State for the APC.

In the presidential election, the APC scored 477 votes while the PDP received 37. For the Senate election, the APC got 401 while the PDP received 109. In the House of Representatives, APC secured 417 votes while the PDP received 92 votes.

Sambo wins own unit in Kaduna

Vice President Namadi Sambo won his polling unit as he defeated the APC at his new polling unit during yesterday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

In the 2011 general elections, Sambo was defeated in his polling unit, ward and local government.

But he secured a resounding victory during yesterday’s polls. The Returning Officer, Olorufemi Raphael, while announcing the results at the Kabala Doki Ward 5, Police College polling unit 11, said the PDP polled 105 votes, APC 20 votes, NCP 01, and APA 01.

Sambo had earlier, on the eve of yesterday’s election, relocated his polling unit from Link/Camp Road to Swimming Pool road by the Kaduna Police College fence, ostensibly to avoid losing again this year.

Be patient with INEC, Jonathan begs Govs, Nigerians

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday pleaded with governors of the PDP to exercise patience with INEC over the poor performance of card readers in their various states.

President Jonathan who spoke to journalists after voting in his hometown, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, said he pleaded with some PDP governors to be patient with INEC over the challenges associated with the card readers used for accreditation.

Responding to questions on whether the card readers’ malfunctioning was limited to his local government, Ogbia, he said: “I don’t think the issue of card reader is limited to Ogbia. If the card readers are not working, I think it is a national issue. It is not limited to Bayelsa State.

“We had a similar situation in Anambara State. In fact the governor of Anambra State called and I asked him to calm down; he was boiling. I had a similar situation in Delta State where the governor called and I asked him to cool down.

“I am aware that INEC has directed that the RECs should ensure that where the card readers are not working, they should take the option of manual accreditation”.

The president also made a case for INEC over the card readers, saying the real intent of the electoral body was to ensure that the polls are not only credible but also acceptable to international observers.

“INEC wants to use the card readers to make sure that the electoral process is credible and acceptable by international observers,” he said.

“Somehow, being the first time we are practising with card readers, there have been some issues in some units, but we should bear with them. I believe that, at the end of the day, we all will be happy.’’

Jonathan acknowledged the fact that he did not have all the information about the voting process at his disposal, and pointed to INEC.

He said, “INEC has the responsibility to talk about their functions. The basic thing is that some places complained that the card readers were not working; at the same time INEC has directed that in polling units that the card readers are not working, they should take the manual option.

“I believe that all Nigerians who want to vote will definitely vote. That is good news. The only thing is that some people probably must have stayed there longer than necessary, but I still plead with them that even if they spent 24 hours for the sake of this country.”

On whether he was blaming anybody for the challenges faced so far in the polls, he said, “I don’t believe in blames; government is one. I don’t blame INEC; I don’t blame judiciary; I don’t blame the police; I don’t blame the soldiers; I don’t blame the executive. As a nation we have different departments of government that handle responsibilities.

“The issue of elections is INEC’s exclusive responsibility and nobody will speak for them. That is what I am saying that even if I have some information I cannot speak for INEC. Jega is the person that can speak for INEC. I speak for the federal government. I am very hopeful (that the election) will turn out successful.”

He expressed belief that the elections would be free, fair and credible.

On APC states having success with the card readers, he said, Jonathan said, “It may be a coincidence. I don’t believe it is limited to PDP-controlled states. I think it is national”.

On alleged violence in some states, he said, “I am not aware of violence in Enugu State. What we heard about Enugu was that there was a bomb blast but when I called the governor, he said there was no bomb blast, but that there were vehicles that came from the north and somebody suspected that there must be an IED.

“It is somehow a scare and it was checked and there was no IED. There was no blast in Enugu. I even had information that there was a blast in Uyo and I called the governor in Uyo and there was no blast in Uyo.

President Jonathan also spoke about the situation in the north east:

“What happened in northern part of Gombe is that the war against terrorists is going on, voting or no voting, because we must take over Sambisa Forest. And some of these insurgents are running away from that part and they were intercepted by some soldiers and there was a kind of crossfire between soldiers and terrorist; it had nothing to do with the elections.”

On how he voted, Jonathan said, “I voted for myself and I voted for PDP in all the other elections.”

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