…As 20 die following violence which mars elections***
Some giants have fallen in the fierce battle for the Senate
– going by results announced by the electoral umpire.
Dr. Bukola Saraki lost his bid to return to the Senate for
the third time – and his hitherto firm grip on Kwara State politics.
Saraki, who stormed Kwara politics in 2003 by riding on his
father’s profile, lost to another medical doctor, Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe.
Oloriegbe of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 123,
828 to beat Saraki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 68, 994.
The loss is a major setback for the Saraki dynasty in 43
years since the patriarch of the family, the late Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki,
a former Senate Leader, dominated Kwara politics.
The dynasty has installed six governors since 1979, hundreds
of lawmakers at the national and state levels, councillors and chairmen of
local government areas.
According to the results released by INEC, Saraki was
defeated in all the four local government areas in the district.
The breakdown is as follows: Asa: APC (15,932), PDP
(11,252); Ilorin East: APC (30,014), PDP(14,654); Ilorin South: APC (26,331),
PDP(13,013) and Ilorin West: APC (51,531), PDP (30,075).
Apart from the Senate President, others who will not return
to the Upper chamber are the Senate Minority Leader, Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi
(Ekiti South) and Senator Rafiu Ibrahim (PDP, Kwara South). Senators Olujimi
and Ibrahim were beaten by Prince Dayo Adeyeye and Lola Ashiru (both of the
APC).
But electoral fortunes smiled on some leaders, who won
senatorial tickets, including ex-Governor Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North);
Prof. Ajayi Borrofice (Ondo North); Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) and
Senator Olubunmi Ayodeji Adetumbi (APC, Ekiti North), who dislodged Senator
Duro Faseyi.
Kalu polled 30,580 votes to defeat the incumbent PDP
Senator, Mao Ohuabunwa, who recorded 21, 940 votes.
In a landmark electoral contest for the first time in his
political career, Adeyeye polled 77, 621 to trounce Mrs. Olujimi, who got
53,741 votes for Ekiti South District slot.
Adetumbi defeated Faseyi of PDP by 60,689 to 49, 209.
Opeyemi, a former House of Representatives
member, won the Ekiti Central Senatorial District for APC with
94,279 votes as against the PDP’s Adewale Obafemi, who scored 48,707.
Ashiru garnered 89,704 votes to defeat Senator Ibrahim. Who
got 45,176 votes.
Shehu Sani (Kaduna South), who was elected on the platform
of the All Progressives Congress (APC), defected and contested on the platform
of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). He lost to Uba Sani of the APC.
In Ondo State, Boroffice polled 53, 199 to beat his
challenger for the North Senatorial District, Dr. Tunji Abayomi of the Action
Alliance (AA).
Former Governor Olusegun Mimiko may not realise his ambition
to represent the Ondo Central at the Red Chamber on the platform of his Zenith
Labour Party (ZLP), it was learnt.
Besides delivering his Bende Local Government Area to
President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, Kalu defeated Ohuabunwa.
The returning officer for the senatorial election, Dr.
Charles Anumodu, declared Kalu winner, with 31,203 votes. Ohuabunwa polled
20,801 and the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief David
Ogba, scored 11,410.
Ohuabunwa, however, rejected the result of the election in a
statement issued by his campaign organisation, signed by Mr. Ukpai Ukairo.
The incumbent said the results were still being collated.
The statement reads: “It has come to our knowledge that INEC
operatives in their haste to arrive at a pre-determined conclusion manipulated
the electoral process to the shock of all well-meaning patriots who believe in
democracy.
“In this respect, it is tragic that INEC could conduct an
election without the issuance of form EC40G, a form used to capture cancelled
votes and places where there was no voting.
“In the circumstances of the above, we demand that the Resident
Electoral Commissioner in Abia State should direct the Returning
Officer of the Abia North Senatorial Election to make the requisite declaration
in accordance with the dictates of Rule 17E(e) of the guidelines for the
conduct of elections issued by INEC by cancelling the elections completely.”
In Osun State, APC’s Ajibola Bashiru was declared winner of
the Osun Central Senatorial District with 132,821votes. He defeated
Ganiyu Ola-Oluwa of the PDP, who scored 106,779.
Lere Oriolowo (APC, Osun West) defeated Lere Oyewuni of the
PDP to clinch the Osun West Senatorial ticket.
In Lagos West Senatorial District, Senator Solomon
Olamilekan Adeola (APC) beat Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor of the PDP.
The result for the Lagos Central Senatorial District was
still being awaited last night.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu is APC’s candidate for the zone.
The APC candidate for the Lagos East Senatorial Zone, Bayo
Osinowo beat Abiodun Oyefusi of the PDP.
In Edo State, Senator Francis Alimikhena (APC, Edo North)
won with 1, 176 to retain his seat.
In Imo State, Governor Rochas Okorocha looked good to
represent Imo West Senatorial Zone as he was reported to have won eight out of
the nine local government areas making up the senatorial zone.
Senator Aliyu Wamakko (APC, Sokoto North) was set for
victory. He was leading five of the eight local government areas making up the
district as of the time of filing this report.
In Akwa Ibom, the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) suspended the announcement of the results in Senator Godswill Akpabio’s
North West Senatorial District.
It was over a controversy surrounding the result submitted
from Akpabio’s Local Government Area, Essien Udim.
The PDP senatorial candidate in the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) was leading in three of the six Area Councils in Abuja.
He was being closely trailed by the APC candidate The
senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) has won in three of the six Area Councils in the
territory.
This was revealed in separate presentations of results by
Collation Officers to the Returning Officer, Prof. Sani Saka on Sunday in
Abuja.
In Abaji Area Council, Aduda got 11,290 votes to beat his
closest rival and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr Jisalo
Zephania who got 11,276 votes.
In Kwali Area Council, the PDP candidate got 17,642 to beat
the APC candidate who got 14,899 votes.
Also, in Gwagwalada Area Council, Aduda of the PDP got
29,567 to beat Zephaniah of the APC who got 22,318 votes.
At the time of filing this report, results were still been
expected from Abuja Municipal, Bwari and Kuje Area Councils.
This was revealed in separate presentations of results by
Collation Officers to the Returning Officer, Prof. Sani Saka on Sunday in Abuja.
In Abaji Area Council, Aduda got 11,290 votes to lead his
closest rival and APC candidate, Zephania, who got 11,276 votes.
In Kwali Area Council, the PDP candidate got 17,642 to beat
the APC candidate who got 14,899 votes.
Also, in Gwagwalada Area Council, Aduda of the PDP got
29,567 to beat Zephaniah of the APC who got 22,318 votes.
At the time of filing this report, results were still been expected from Abuja Municipal, Bwari and Kuje Area Councils.
In the meantime, no fewer than 17 people were killed across the country yesterday as violence erupted during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The army confirmed six in Rivers State alone.
Three of the victims died at different polling units at
Okota, a suburb of Lagos, and three in Sapele, Delta State, two each in Bayelsa
and Kogi States while one each was killed in Oyo and Zamfara States.
The remaining two died on Friday during a clash between
supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) in Ebonyi State.
Sequel to the violence, the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) has decided to hold fresh elections in some parts
of Lagos, Rivers and Anambra States.
INEC Commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter
Education Committee, Festus Okoye, announced the development said the move was
on account of disruption.
He said: “The commission has received reports of violence
and ballot box snatching in some areas leading to the disruption of the
process. We have asked the Resident Electoral Commissioners RECs and the
Electoral Officials on ground to submit their firsthand reports in relation to
some of these incidents. We are still receiving reports relating to incidences
in some states of the federation but we have received reports relating to
incidences in Akuku Toru and Bonny local government areas of Rivers state.
“So long as the commission could not deploy in these areas,
the implication is that voting did not take place in those areas and the
commission will hold consultations with the relevant authorities and the
Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in relation to these areas and will
announce the date when polls will take place in some of these areas, especially
in relation to the areas as they affect the House of Representatives and
Senatorial elections.
“It is not only in Rivers that we had reports of burning of
electoral materials. We have such reports from Anambra and Lagos States as well
as some other places.”
The victims in Rivers State included two brothers and a
soldier.
Sources identified one of the victims in Lagos simply as
Peter. He was said to be a barber and was allegedly shot and
stabbed to death at Powerline, Canal Estate in Okota by thugs who stormed
the polling station in an attempt to disrupt the electoral process.
Another was identified as Demola, a leader of the Oodua
People’s Congress (OPC) in the area who was lynched by a mob for allegedly
denying them a right to vote.
The identity of the third man could not be immediately
established, but he was stabbed to death at Last Bus Stop, Ago Okota.
Residents alleged that the thugs first showed their intent
as early as 8am when they stormed the area threatening prospective voters.
They blamed the police and soldiers for not acting on
reports about the activities of the alleged hoodlums.
An eye witness said: “Those guys were armed with guns and
cutlass. We had policemen and soldiers here and I personally told them that
those guys seated under the umbrella there were thugs and not voters in this
area.
“We told them to do their job by chasing them away or
arresting them but surprisingly, the security people left. They only left one
police van here and the policemen inside had just stick.
“As soon as those policemen and soldiers left, these boys
started scattering everywhere. They destroyed the ballot boxes but we were able
to secure the presidential ballot box because we had voted.
“They killed one barber and injured many people here. We
called the police and soldiers for reinforcement. The Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) officials ran away for their lives. Soldiers later
came to rescue them.
“But why we are angry now is that the INEC doesn’t want to
continue our election. They said they will not count our votes here and we have
refused. There are police and soldiers here, so, let them count the votes of
our presidential election. At least, they could not scatter that.”
Some of the hoodlums also stormed polling unit 023, Ago
Palace Way, and set fire to thumb printed ballot papers.
However, the voters fought back and the thugs fled on a
motorcycle.
One of them was however unlucky and was subsequently seized
with his motorcycle which was immediately set ablaze.
The suspect was beaten and later handed over to the police.
Ten others were arrested also at Okota.
The police arrested nine other suspected thugs at Somolu,
Lagos for allegedly molesting voters with charms, six in Epe, three at Ajao
Estate, Lagos.
Soldiers arrested two persons at Aguda, Surulere, Lagos.
One of the suspects Yusuf, said a politician asked him to
come to a polling unit for an unknown reason.
Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) David Folawiyo
and Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu went round the city to monitor the
security situation.
Leader of OPC in Okota, Prince Osipote, denied the thugs who
disrupted elections in the area. He said they were not members of the OPC.
Addressing reporters after a meeting with his men, Muazu
said a total of 23 persons were arrested in the state for attempts to disrupt
the elections which he described as generally peaceful in the state.
He said: “We went round several polling units and it was
generally peaceful. We had a few cases of disruption of election process. The
most important was the one at Okota where few polling units were attacked.
“Some hoodlums went there when election was ongoing and
disrupted the process. We heard the rumour that people were killed but we went
there and we did not see any corpse. The DPO did not see anyone that was
killed.
“In Okota, nine suspects were arrested. They came on
motorcycles and 10 of these were recovered. Okota is a very large area and we
cannot deploy armed policemen to polling units. The armed policemen were far
off. That was why the hoodlums were able to strike and fled before armed
policemen could get there.
“It is indeed a breach of the restriction order. I wonder
where they came from but the case is under investigation and we will find out
where they came from.
Unknown gunmen were blamed for the killings in Sapele.
Sources said the hoodlums swooped on voters as they queued
to exercise their franchise at Amukpe area of Sapele and unexpectedly opened
fire.
Two persons died on the spot while another died in the
hospital.
Two other persons hit by bullets are now receiving treatment
in the hospital.
The motive of the gunmen could not be immediately
established.
A resident of the area said: “I’m not sure they carted
election materials away, but I saw that the ground of the place was littered
with electoral materials, giving me the impression that they only
scattered the materials.”
Police Commissioner Adeleke Adeyinka said he was yet to be
briefed on the incident.
But a security source said: “immediately we heard of the
situation, we moved in to take over the area so as to stabilize it and prevent
a further escalation of the situation.”
The Nation
