Poll Results: Anxiety as INEC keeps Nigerians waiting

Anxiety in the polity reached feverish peak, yesterday, as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the third time, shifted the announcement of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly election to 11 a.m today.

However, before adjourning announcement to Monday, the INEC National Collation Centre, chaired by INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, announced the result for Ekiti.

Results from most states of the country were being collated at the state level at press time as complaints about the slow response rate of the INEC Result Viewing, IREV, Portal, reigned.

Reports from the states showed that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won Osun, Adamawa and was doing well in some Northern states. Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP was winning in the South-East, Edo, and made impact in Lagos and Abuja.

All Progressives Congress, APC’s Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was leading in South-West, won some councils in Rivers and others in the North.

Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Party, NNPP, was leading in Kano and making inroads in some Northern states.

The electoral umpire had initially fixed 12 p.m yesterday for the announcement of the result. It later shifted it to 6p.m, yesterday before postponing it to 11 a.m today.

This happened as House Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, led a crop of serving Reps, who retained their seats just as Ebonyi State Governor won his election for Ebonyi South Senatorial zone. Also Senate spokesperson, Ajibola Basiru, was among senators who failed to return.

How Tinubu won in Ekiti

At the collation of the results of the presidential election, which began at 6:50p.m, the State Collation Officer for the Presidential Election SCOPE in Ekiti State, Prof. Akeem Olawale Lasisi said elections took place in all the 16 local councils.

However, he said results from a polling unit in Ado Ekiti and another from a unit in Ekiti East Local Government Area were cancelled “due to bypass of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS and over-voting”.

Giving a breakdown of the figures, he said the All Progressives Congress, APC, polled 201,494 votes; the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, garnered 89,554; Labour Party, LP, got 11,397 while the Social Democratic Party, SDP, polled 2,011 votes.

Total number of accredited voters was put at 315,058, while the total valid votes stood at 308,171. Also, the total number of rejected votes was 6,301 even as the total votes cast was 314, 472.

Speaking after receiving the results, Professor Mahmood Yakubu said more results would be expected in the wee hours, saying provisions had been made for an efficient transport system for the state collation officers. He consequently adjourned proceedings to 11am on Monday.

Results safe on

BVAS, INEC assures Nigerians

Against complaints about the slow response rate of its result viewing portal, INEC has assured Nigerians that the development was not due to an intrusion of its systems by external forces, assuring that all results, including those not yet uploaded to the portal, remained safe on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS.

INEC said the results cannot be tampered with and any discrepancy between them and the physical results used in collation will be thoroughly investigated and remediated, in line with Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022.

“The Commission is aware of challenges with the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV). Unlike in off-season elections where the portal was used, it has been relatively slow and unsteady. The Commission regrets this setback, especially because of the importance of IReV in our results management process,” INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, said yesterday.

According to him, the problem is totally due to technical hitches related to scaling up the IReV from a platform for managing off-season, state elections, to one for managing nationwide general elections.

He said it is indeed not unusual for glitches to occur and be corrected in such situations.

“Consequently, the Commission wishes to assure Nigerians that the challenges are not due to any intrusion or sabotage of our systems, and that the IReV remains well-secured.

“Our technical team is working assiduously to solve all the outstanding problems, and users of the IReV would have noticed improvements since last night.

“We also wish to assure Nigerians that results from the polling units, copies of which were issued to political parties, are safe on both the BVAS and the IReV portal. These results cannot be tampered with and any discrepancy between them and the physical results used in collation will be thoroughly investigated and remediated, in line with Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022.

“While we fully appreciate the concerns of the public on this situation and welcome various suggestions that we have received from concerned Nigerians, it is important to avoid statements and actions that can heat up the polity at this time or promote disaffection towards the Commission.

“We take full responsibility for the problems and regret the distress that they have caused the candidates, political parties and the electorate”, he added.

Two Ondo Reps lose seats

Two members of the House of Representatives in Ondo State, Tajudeen Adefisoye representing Ifedore/Idanre and Gboluga Ikengboju representing Irele/Okitipupa constituencies, have lost their seats in the National Assembly.

Adefisoye is of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, while lkengboju is of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

In the result released by INEC, Adefisoye scored 20,064 against his PDP opponent in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Festus Akingbaso, who polled 24,263 votes.

Jimi Odimayo of the APC polled 44,638 to defeat Ikengboju of the PDP, who got 21,066 votes.

Adekoya, Reps minority whip, loses seat to APC

The House of Representatives Minority Whip, Segun Adekoya, has lost his seat in the Green Chamber to the candidate of the APC in Saturday’s National Assembly election, Adegbesan Joseph.

Popularly called ‘Attacker’, Adesegun of the Ijebu-North/East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency, was seeking a fourth term in the House.

Announcing the results, the Returning Officer, Adeyemi Bamgbose, said Adekoya polled 25,450 votes while the APC candidate garnered 35,708 votes.

4 APC lawmakers lose seats in Osun

Four lawmakers in Osun State have lost their bids to return to the National Assembly.

The Senate Spokesperson, Ajibola Basiru, who represents Osun Central Senatorial District, lost to the PDPCandidate, Fadeyi Olubiyi.

According to the Senatorial Collation Officer, Professor Ibrahim Usman, Olubiyi scored 134, 229 votes to defeat Basiru, who polled 117,609 votes while Labour Party candidate, Oyebode Babasola, scored 2,292 votes.

Also, in the House of Representatives result for Osogbo Federal Constituency, which was announced at the collation centre at the City Hall, Olonkoro, Osogbo, the collation officer, Dr Isiaq Egbewole, disclosed that Maruf Adebayo of PDP polled 71,677 votes to defeat Abosede Kasumu-Ogo-Oluwa of the APC, who polled 58,992.

Meanwhile, the PDP House of Representatives’ candidates for Ife and Ede Federal Constituencies, Taofeek Ajilesoro and Bamidele Salam were re-elected to the Green Chamber.

Ajilesoro polled 53,078 votes while APC’s Benjamin Adereti scored 51,051. Salam scored 64,236 votes to defeat Atanda Bello of the APC who got 35,444 votes.

Ondo ex-Info Commissioner, Ojogo, defeats third term-seeking Rep

A former Information and Orientation commissioner, in Ondo State, Mr .Donald Ojogo, has defeated an incumbent House of Representatives member, representing Ilaje / Ese-Odo Federal Constituency, Kolade Akinjo.

The INEC said that Ojogo, who is of the APC polled 26,306 votes to defeat, Kolade Akinjo, who scored 22,390 votes in the election.

Akinjo, who was seeking a third term in the National Assembly.

The PDP lawmaker hails from Ilaje, while Ojogo hails from Ijaw Arogbo in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of the state.

Also, the incumbent member of the House of Representatives in Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, Timehin Adelegbe, APC, defeated the candidate of the PDP, Ayo Arowele

While Adelegbe polled 34,550 votes Arowele scored 20,865 votes.

Atiku wins 20 LGs in Osun, Tinubu wins 10

The PDP, Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar won the presidential election in Osun State.

Atiku, according to result collated and announced at the INEC office in Osogbo, won in 20 of the 30 local councils of the state.

His closest rival, Bola Tinubu, won in 10 local councils.

Atiku won in Boluwaduro, Ifedayo, Ila, Odo-Otin, Irepodun, Orolu, Ede-North, Ede-South, Ife-South, Ife-North, Ola-Oluwa, and Ayedire local government council areas.

Other local government areas, where the PDP candidate won, include Obokun, Oriade, Atakumosa-East, Atakumosa-West, Ifelodun, Egbedore, Ilesa-East and Ilesa-West.

Meanwhile, the 10 local government areas won by Bola Tinubu include Osogbo, Olorunda, Ife-Central, Ife-East and Iwo.

Other local governments include Irewole, Isokan, Ayedaade, Ejigbo and Boripe local government council areas.

Announcing the total figure polled by the candidates, the State Returning Officer, Professor Tolulope Ogunsola disclosed that Atiku Abubakar scored 354,366 votes while Tinubu polled 343,945 votes.

Labour Party’s Peter Obi came third with 23,283 votes while Rabiu Kwankwaso of NNPP was fourth with 713 votes.

She also disclosed that of the 1,954,800 registered as voters, 759,362 were accredited adding that out of 756,744 votes cast, 733,203 were valid and 23,541 were rejected votes.

Gbajabiamila re-elected for 6th term

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has hailed his constituents in the Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State for re-electing him for 6th term.

Gbajabiamila polled 19,717 votes to beat his closest opponent, Bosun Jeje of the PDP, who scored 5,121 votes.

The Speaker said he remained grateful to the people of Surulere 1 for giving him the sixth term mandate, noting that he would not disappoint them.

Reps’ spokesman, Kalu secures seat

Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu, also won his seat for Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State.

The returning officer, Adindu Chidinma, who announced the results, stated that the parties in the elections polled as follows: APC – 10,020; LP – 6818; PDP – 3930; ADC – 90; APGA – 301; APN – 184; APP – 72; NNPP – 60; SDP – 17 and YPP – 105.

According to Chidinma, the number of accredited voters was 22,308.

Deputy Chief Whip, Onyejiocha loses to LP’s Ogah in Abia

In a related development, Deputy Chief Whip of the House, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, of the APC, lost her seat to Chief Amobi Ogah of the LP.

The incoming results from Isiukwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency of Abia showed that so far the LP scored 8,417, PDP 4,417, APC 2,139, APGA 1,870, thereby placing Onyejiocha at a distant third.

Akpatason wins, APC wins Edo central senatorial district

The Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Peter Akpatason, has been announced the winner of the election to represent Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency for a fourth term.

Announcing the result in Igarra, headquarters of the constituency, the INEC Collation officer, Professor Robert Okuonghae, said Akpatason, who is the APC candidate, scored 14,982 votes to defeat his closest rival, Mr Kabiru Adjoto of the PDP, who polled 9,293 votes while Labour Party scored 7,993.

In Edo Central Senatorial District, for the first time 1999, a party other than the PDP won the senate seat in the person of Monday Okpebholo of the APC who scored 41,334 votes while the LP scored 32,574 and the PDP got 25,225, the results were announced by Professor Ray Ozuolua Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics of the University of Benin

Meanwhile, husband of Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson, Odianosen Okojie won the House of Representatives seat for the Esan South-East/Esan North East Federal Constituency as he scored a total of 21,764 votes to defeat the PDP which scored 10,007 while LP scored 11,528 the results were announced by Dr Victor Imade.

The APC also won the Etsako Federal Constituency where its candidate, Dekery Anamero scored 58,692 votes to defeat Andy Momodu of the PDP, who scored 25,132 as announced by the returning officer, Professor Buniyamin Ayinde.

Senator Adeola wins Ogun West

Also, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and APC Senatorial candidate for Ogun West Senatorial District, Senator Solomon Adeola, has emerged the winner of Ogun West Senatorial District seat.

Adeola scored 112,887 votes, while his closest rival, Ganiyu Obanibasiri of the PDP, scored 60,189 votes.

The Labour Party candidate came third with a total vote of 19, 244.

The result was announced on Sunday by Professor Oluseye Olusegun Onabanjo of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta at the Oronna Hall, Ilaro, the Ogun West Senatorial Collation Centre at about 7.30pm.

Tinubu loses Ikeja to Obi, wins Epe, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Mainland

In Lagos, Tinubu lost his Ikeja LGA to Peter Obi. He however won four of the 20 local councils, which results were ready at press time. The local councils are Epe, Ikorodu, lagos Mainland and Lagos Island.

The results were as follows:

Ikeja

APC- 21,276

LP-30,004

NNPP-337

PDP-2,280

Badagry LGA

APC-31,903

LP-10,956

NNPP-153

PDP-6,024

LP agent said he was made to sign the result at gunpoint