Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his All Progressives Congress (APC) appear to be heading for victory in yesterday’s governorship and house of assembly elections after recovering from the shock of the party’s unexpected defeat in last month’s presidential election in the state.
By Cypher Ilerioluwa
Duduspree News, Texas
Early results in Kwara State are also in favour of Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRasaq and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
Same applies to PDP’s Siminilaye Fubara in River State and APC’s Prince Bassey Otu in Cross River.
The results however show tight contests in Ogun State between incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun and PDP’s Ladipo Adebutu, and in Ebonyi State between APC’s Francis Nwifuru, All Progressive Grand Alliance’s (APGA’s) Bernard Odoh and PDP’s Ifeanyi Odii. But Abiodun, in a tweet on his official handle @dabiodunMFR at about 10pm yesterday assured his supporters that there was no cause for alarm.
His words: “With the look of things, it is safe to tell our well-wishers ‘e lo fokan bale’ DA 4+4 is sacrosanct!”
Many of the results were on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal last night.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed, Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri and Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) hailed the conduct of the polls.
Labour Party’s (LP’s) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who had hoped to cash in on the momentum of his party’s defeat of the APC in the presidential election, was roundly beaten across the state yesterday, losing his polling unit 01 at Oshifila Street, Anifowoshe, Ikeja to Sanwo-Olu.
Rhodes-Vivour polled only 18 votes to the governor’s 29 while Peoples Democratic Party’s Olajide Adeniran got only two.
An apparently disappointed Rhodes-Vivour accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police of “provoking Lagosians”. Labour Party’s (LP’s) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who had hoped to cash in on the momentum of his party’s defeat of the APC in the presidential election, was roundly beaten across the state yesterday, losing his polling unit 01 at Oshifila Street, Anifowoshe, Ikeja to Sanwo-Olu.
Rhodes-Vivour polled only 18 votes to the governor’s 29 while Peoples Democratic Party’s Olajide Adeniran got only two.
An apparently disappointed Rhodes-Vivour accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police of “provoking Lagosians”.
He threatened that “if tonight Lagos catches fire, it is not our fault.”
The APC said the LP candidate’s statement portrayed him as a bad loser.
Spokesman for APC in the state, Seye Oladejo, said in a statement that “this scaremongering is typical of bad losers who lack the spirit of sportsmanship.”
Oladejo asked the security agencies to take note of Mr Rhodes-Vivour’s “threat to set Lagos on fire as his predilection for violence and warmongering is well known to Nigerians.”
He added: “Should there be any breakdown of law and order in any part of our state, law enforcement agencies should know who to grab – Mr Rhodes-Vivour.
“We are compiling reports of how APC supporters were harassed and attacked today. Some of the reports are really scary.
“Now the LP candidate is playing the victim. This old trick won’t work. Discerning Lagosians know they are all lies deployed to attract sympathy. Our party has no need to be violent because we are sure of the glittering credentials of our candidate Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, who will never be associated with violence.
“We advise LP and its candidate to embrace peace instead of threatening to bring down the roof on everybody. It won’t work.”
Rhodes-Vivour had in a tweet alleged intimidation of LP supporters in the state, saying: “From all over Lagos, we are getting distressing reports of voter intimidation, voter suppression. The worrying thing about this is that INEC and the police have shown to be complicit in this.
“INEC still has hours to do the right thing. With the help of security agencies, the commission will be able to calm down a lot of things. A lot of areas are still under intense attacks by thugs and hooligans of the APC.
“I call on INEC, most especially, and the police not to set Lagos on fire. This is a state that houses 22 million people. Having that many people angry because of being disenfranchised is not something Nigeria needs now.”
Some of the results in Lagos:
Ibeju-Lekki local government Governorship Result: APC: 1,535; PDP: 124; LP: 226
House of Assembly results: APC: 1483; PDP: 176; LP: 218
Final Results at Ward F Agege: Governorship
APC: 3292; LP: 929; PDP: 214
House of Assembly APC: 3126; LP: 1003; PDP: 191.
Ikosi-Ejirin LCDA Governorship: APC: 6594; PDP: 1181; LP: 159
Ibeju-Lekki LG Ward A Governorship: APC: 1,535; PDP:176; LP:218
Reports from Kwara State showed that Governor AbdulRasak recorded 867 votes in Oro Ward 1 against 456 for PDP’s Alhaji Shuaib Yaman Abdullah. The governor also got 1788 votes in Oro Ward 2 while Abdullah received 600.
The results reflect the trend of voting across the state yesterday.
APC, PDP in close race in Ebonyi
The APC and PDP are locked in a close race in the Ebonyi State governorship election.
The APC flag bearer Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru appears to be in the lead in most local governments in Ebonyi North senatorial zone.
He is also getting lots of votes across all the local governments in Ebonyi South zone except in Onicha local government area, the home base of PDP’s Ifeanyi Odii.
The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Bernard Odoh, is leading in some local governments in Ebonyi Central, especially Ezza North and Ishielu. He is also doing well in Afikpo North.
Mr Odii is doing well in Abakaliki Urban and across many local government areas.
In all, it appears to be a tight race between the PDP and APC. Their performance in key swing local governments like Ịkwọ and Afikpo South may determine the winner of the elections.
Suspected hoodlums shot dead as violence, apathy rear head
Although turnout of voters was generally low across the country, there were scattered incidents of violence.
Some suspected hoodlums were shot dead while attempting to disrupt the elections.
One of such was shot dead at Ago Palace Way area of Lagos after allegedly snatching a ballot box at Jemtok.
A voter, who gave his name as Innocent Chukwudi, said the suspect had seized the phones of some journalists who were recording his action.
“The same thug seized some journalists’ phones, saying nobody should do a video of him at the scene. He was yelling that people should do ‘whatever you want to do and leave here. We do not need Red Cross or journalists here,’ Chukwudi said.
“As he picked the ballot box, the policemen shouted at him to drop the box and shot him when he resisted. The man died on the spot and he was taken away by the operatives.”
Hoodlums also struck at Oke-Afa, Surulere, Amuwo Odofin, Isheri-Osun and Ikate areas of the state.
Police arrest ‘thugs’ with five pump action guns in Anambra
The police in Anambra State arrested five suspected political thugs with guns in the state, according to online publication, The Cable.
It quoted the police as saying: “Five armed thugs (have been) arrested in Ihiala Anambra State where four pump actions (were) recovered. Further development shall be communicated.”
Briefing journalists on the development, Aderemi Adeoye, Commissioner of Police in charge of elections in Anambra, said the suspects were “brought into the secretariat” by a local government official.
“The second one is at Iyiala LGA, where a local government official brought in armed thugs to the secretariat. The thugs have been arrested. They are five in number,” he said.
“Five pump-action guns have been recovered and the thugs have been detained,” he said.
“We did warn from the outset that we will not tolerate thuggery and snatching of boxes, and we will come hard on anyone who violates the electoral act and guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of this election,” he added.
IGP storms Jos for election monitoring
Police Inspector General Usman Alkali Baba flew to Jos yesterday to personally monitor the election in Plateau State.
He commended the Police and other Security agencies for their synergy in providing adequate security for the polls.
The IGP stated this evening while briefing Journalists at the Plateau State Police Command headquarters in Jos, while on election monitoring to some states.
“I have seen compliance in terms of restriction of movement. I have seen compliance in terms of people coming out to vote in orderliness and I have seen synergy among the security agencies in trying to police the election process,” the IGP said.
2023 polls most credible, transparent – Lai Mohammed
Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed described the 2023 polls as one of the most transparent and credible ever held in the country.
The minister spoke in his home town, Oro, Kwara State while speaking with newsmen after casting his vote in the governorship and state assembly elections.
Mohammed, who voted at about 9.45 a.m. at Polling Unit 006, Oro Ward 2, said the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was a game changer in tackling the issues of multiple accreditations, voting and rigging.
