- Ohanaeze warns against manipulation of election results
The Adamawa State Residential Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mr Hudu Yunusa, has slated 8:30pm for the commencement of the collation of election results for the presidential election that took place on Saturday.
Yunusa, who arrived at the Adamawa State office of the commission located at No. 33, Galadima Aminu Way, Jimeta-Yola at 7:19 pm in the company of employees of the commission, blamed the late arrival of election results from the 21 Local Government Areas of the state for the delayed commencement of collation.
He noted that so far only results from seven local government areas had been received, assuring that more would come before the commencement of collation.
He said, “We have received results from seven local governments out of 21. So far, we have Lamurde, Girie, Shelleng, Guyuk Toungo, Ganye and Mayo-Belwa Local Government Areas. By 8:30pm, we would have gotten more results.
“Please bear with us. It is better for news to be late than to be fake. This is my watchword. It is better that we have the news late than to fake it and throw it out to the public.”
Yunusa also confirmed the conduct of fresh elections in a polling unit in Yola North on Sunday, saying, “Yes, on Saturday we had an incident. It happened in just one unit in the Yola North Local Government Area. What happened is that the Electoral Officer refused to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System. When the voters realised that the BVAS was not deployed, they got angry and said it was a ploy to deny them their right to vote. This resulted in a near problem but with the intervention of the commission, the challenge was addressed. The election was held today.”
As of the time of filing this report, security officers made up largely of the police, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Federal Road Safety Commission, had been deployed to the collation centre.
Ohanaeze warns against manipulation of election results
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has warned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, against the manipulation of the results of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections to favour a particular candidate against the wishes of the electorate.
Ohanaeze gave the warning in a statement on Sunday, saying that the manipulation of election results is an invitation for anarchy as Nigerians would not accept anything less than to ensure that their votes count.
The Igbo apex body, in the statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, said that the reported irregularities across the country especially in Lagos, Delta, five South-East states, Rivers and a host of other states smacked betrayal and trust of Nigerians on the electoral process.
Ohanaeze said, “Professor Yakubu is reminded that Nigerians went into this election based on his assurances that the deployment of BVAS by INEC was a perfect antidote to electoral malpractices in Nigeria.
“It will therefore be very unfortunate if what is going on across Nigeria is allowed to continue. It is a betrayal of trust which the millions of Nigerians will surely revolt against.”
In the statement titled, “Nigerians have spoken” Ohanaeze thanked the good people of Nigeria for their courage, steadfastness and the ultimate discharge of their civic duties by exercising their franchise for a better Nigeria at the Presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday.
The Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR expresses immense delight that the youths of Nigeria walked their talk by voting for Peter Obi and Datti Ahmed of the Labour Party, overwhelmingly across the country.
Going by the results so far released, Nigerians have fully expressed their delight for a quantum leap from the asphyxiating ocean of darkness and want an inspiring gravy train of light and prosperity.
“It is most regrettable that some agents of darkness are bent on using INEC to test the will of Nigerians. For instance
“Peter Obi has often insisted that the Almighty God is only using him as a vessel to rescue and lift Nigeria from its current tailspin. In other words, the victory is yours and must be defended by all.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the International community to prevail on Mahmood Yakubu not to lend hand to the thickening Frankenstein monster that first devours its creator by respecting the will of the people. Nigerians have spoken.”
Kwankwaso leads Atiku, Tinubu with over 40,000 votes in Kano
The Presidential Candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso is ahead of Atiku and Tinubu with 43,625 votes in the seven local government areas of Kano State that have so far been declared at the state collation centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
With 69,997, Tinubu, who is the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, is following Kwankwaso with 69,997 votes, while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party has garnered 15,896 votes.
INEC rejects Okowa’s LG results for over-voting
The Independent National Electoral Commission in Delta State has rejected the presidential results of the local government area of the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and governor of the state, Ifeanyi Okowa, citing over-voting.
Police arrest three suspects over Kano collation centre fire
The Kano State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the arrest of three suspects, who allegedly razed some of the Independent National Electoral Commission offices in the Takai Local Government Area of the state where the presidential and National Assembly elections results were being collated.
It was gathered that the suspects arrived at the collation centre around 11.00 am on Sunday.
The police spokesman in the state, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect allegedly set ablaze the generator room and destroyed some INEC property before they were arrested.
Credit: Punch
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