Presidential candidates of the major political parties in the February 23, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party have shown significant strength as can be gleaned from results declared at various polling units across the country.
While Buhari won overwhelmingly in his unit in Daura, Katsina State, in the presidential and National Assembly elections held throughout the country on Saturday, he lost at the unit at the Presidential Villa.
Though the elections were marred by violence in some states including Lagos, Rivers, and Anambra , they witnessed a massive voter turnout in most polling units where voting took place.
Many voters have been disenfranchised in some parts of Delta State as card readers malfunctioned continually. In Unit 10, Isho Village in Ubulu-Uku, Aniocha South LGA, the card reader developed glitch without registering a single voter.
Card readers at Units 8 and 9 in the same area were very slow to the disappointment of the INEC officials and the natives who had trooped out in large number to exercise their civic duty.
Buhari, who voted at Polling Unit 003 in Sarkin Yara A Ward, Kofa Baru by Gidan Niyam, defeated the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Buhari, who is the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, polled 523 votes to defeat the Accord Party, which scored four votes in the unit.
Atiku got three votes.
The unit has 898 registered voters, out of which 550 were accredited for the elections.
But, in the National Assembly contest, the APC lost the President’s unit to the Accord Party.
The AP polled 263 votes in the unit for the Senate seat, while the APC followed with 248 votes. The PDP scored zero, while there were 14 voided votes.
The candidate for the Accord Party for the Senate is Mr Nalado Lawal, while the APC’s is Senator Ahmed Kaita.
However, the APC won in the unit for the House of Representatives seat, polling 450 votes to AP’s 58 votes while the PDP got five votes.
The Presiding Officer, Mr Aliyu Abdullahi, a youth corps member, did the sorting and counting of the votes immediately voting ended at 2.14pm.
Buhari, in company with his wife, Aisha, was among the earliest voters to arrive at the venue at 8.01am.
The President’s number on the voter register is 187, while his wife’s is 182.
The couple started and completed their accreditation and voting under 10 minutes.
However, Atiku defeated President Buhari in the total votes cast in the presidential election held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
But both candidates won one each of the two polling units located on the premises.
While Atiku won in Polling Unit 022 with 525 votes against Buhari’s 465, the President won in Polling Unit 021 with 552 votes against Atiku’s 505 votes.
In all, Atiku won with 1,030 votes against Buhari’s 1,017 votes.
For the senatorial election, the PDP won Unit 021 with 535 votes against the APC’s 531.
In Unit 022, the PDP also won with 546 votes while the APC polled 477 votes.
In the senatorial election, the PDP won with 1,081 votes while the APC scored 1,008 votes.
For the House of Representatives’ election, the PDP defeated the APC in Unit 021 with 525 votes as against APC’s 531 votes.
In Unit 022, the PDP again won with 521 votes against APC’s 466 votes.
In all, the PDP won the House of Representatives’ election with a total vote of 1,046 votes against 995 scored by the APC.
There was orderliness at the Presidential Villa while the polls lasted.
There were 14 voting points with seven in each of the two units.
Electoral officers were comfortably housed under six giant canopies.
White plastic chairs were also provided for voters who looked very relaxed under the trees.
After voting, voters stayed back in their number to witness the sorting and counting of the votes.
When it became clear that the exercise would extend into late evening, Julius Berger moved a giant generator and floodlights to the venue.
The firm is in charge of the daily maintenance of the seat of power.
Atiku lost his polling unit in Adamawa State to Buhari in the impressive turnout of voters in the state.
The conduct of the polls was also generally peaceful apart from the fighter jet that hovered over Yola.
Atiku, who voted at his polling unit 12 in Ajiya in Yola, lost by 19 votes to the President.
He polled 167 while Buhari got 186 votes.
The APC also won the Senate election in the ward, polling 187 to PDP’s 120.
In the House of Representatives election, the APC had 145 while PDP scored 121.
The PDP supporters jubilated despite the loss, saying that Atiku had never won at the unit and had never closed the gap against the opposition even when he won the governorship race in the state in 1998.
They saw Saturday’s result at the unit as an improvement.
However, Atiku polled 146 to defeat Buhari who scored 129 votes in Unit 015, just a few metres to the former Vice-President’s unit.
The tally of results from Ajiya, Yola Club, NUJ, Bekaji and Karewa polling units as recorded by our correspondents showed that the PDP polled 796 votes while the APC scored 611.
Atiku, who came to the polling unit with his wife, Titi, and the son of Bamanga Tukur, Awa, told newsmen that he expected a smooth transition after the elections.
He also said he was impressed with the report of massive turnout he had received from the PDP agents across the country.
In Bayelsa, the candidate of the PDP in the Bayelsa East Senatorial district of the State, Chief Ipigansi Izagara has raised alarm over alleged hijack of election materials in Nembe Basambiri and Okoroba areas of the state by persons wearing military and police uniforms who shot sporadically into the air to cause panic.
According to him, the shooting and hijack of materials were sponsored by the opposition party supporters. He claimed that one person has been killed and five others injured in the melee.
He said the attack against PDP members started around 10pm on Friday: “They have hijacked materials from our area with the assistance of soldiers, he said. ”
In Rivers State, gunmen decked in military uniforms have taken over most parts of the major roads. The Information Commissioner in the State, Emma Okah, said no fewer than 15 PDP members had been shot in the heavy shooting going on in the state in the Akuku-Toru LGA of the state.
He specifically fingered Hon Elechi Dike of the APC in Ward 3, Elele, Ikwere LGA as the man going around with security men and cash allegedly buying votes from some gullible persons.
