Presidential poll: Buhari coasts home to victory

…PDP kicks, demands stoppage of election result collation

…Don’t be deceived by PDP antics, APC tells Observers, others

Andrew Orolua and Tunde Opalana, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari is coasting home to victory with the results of 24 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) having scored over 12 million votes compared with eight million votes scored by his closest rival, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, worried about the manner the collation is being handled, the PDP on Tuesday vehemently kicked against the results and demanded that INEC should stop the collation. Just as it kicked against the results, the All Progressives Congress (APC) also asked the media and international observers not to be deceived by antics of the PDP. As results of last Saturday’s Presidential election continue to roll in, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari has consolidated his lead by winning in 13 states. Out of the 16 states results declared before press time on Tuesday at the Presidential Election Collation Centre in Abuja, Buhari defeated his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Katsina. In Niger State, Buhari’s APC scored 612,371 votes while Atiku polled 218,052. In Jigawa, Buhari got 794,738 as against Atiku who scored 289,895 votes while in Kaduna the incumbent polled 993,445 while his challenger got 649,612 votes. Buhari also won in Bauchi State where he polled 789428 to beat Atiku who scored 209,313; Lagos with 580,825 as against 448015 for Atiku; Ogun with 281,762 votes while Atiku polled 194,655 and Kano with over one million votes’ margin, having won 1,464,768 as against Atiku’s 391,593 votes. The APC candidate ganered larger chunk of votes cast in Katsina State polling 1,232,133 while the PDP got 308,056 votes. The PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on the other hand, recorded victory in Anambra, Oyo, Adamawa, Edo, Benue, Imo, Plateau and Taraba states. In Anambra, Atiku scored 524,738 while Buhari scored 33,289; Oyo 366,690 as against Buhari’s 365,229; Adamawa 410,266 while Buhari scored 378,078; Edo 275,691 as against 267,842 for Buhari and Benue where he polled 356,817 as against Buhari’s 347,668. Also Atiku won in Imo State with 334,923 while Buhari polled 140,463; Plateau with 548,665 as against 468,555 for Buhari and in Taraba polling 374,743 votes as against Buhari’s 324,906 votes. Recall that the APC candidate took the lead out of the 12 states declared on Monday winning in Ekiti, Osun, Kwara, Nasarawa, Kogi, Gombe and Yobe states while Atiku won in Federal Capital Territory, Ondo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states. With these results, Buhari has won in 15 states while Atiku won in 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It is hoped that INEC may declare the winner of the 2019 presidential election today, Wednesday, should results from the remaining nine states get to the National Collation Centre, Abuja. Meanwhile, as the nation awaits the completion of Collation of last Saturday’s Presidential election and declaration of winner, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the stoppage of results collation. The party asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately halt the ongoing collation of results until data from the smart card reader accreditation at the polling units are made available to all the parties in the election. The PDP said its demand was predicated on available evidence to the effect that data from the card readers are being reconfigured to suit the manipulations, rigging and over-voting already carried out during the election in some states by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Deputy Director General (Adm) of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Barr. Tanimu Turaki, SAN, in a statement said already, the party’s National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, has communicated PDP position to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. He said that the party has evidence from the smart card reader accreditation data that what is being announced by INEC has been seriously tampered with and manipulated. “In the meantime, we demand the immediate and outright cancellation of Presidential election results in Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Borno states as submitted by INEC presiding officers and ask for the conduct of fresh elections in these states. “In Yobe, the total number of votes submitted as cast was more than the number of accredited voters. Whereas the number of accredited voters was 601, 056, the total votes cast was 775, 449. “This is a clear case of over-voting which, by the provisions of the Electoral Act, renders the election null and void. In such instance, the law provides for another election on a day to be fixed by INEC. “In Zamfara State, no actual voting took place and there was no single result sheet in any polling unit in the entire state. There was an arrest in Shinkafi Local Government, where an APC member was caught thump-printing ballot papers inside his house. “Results from the presiding officer from Zamfara were concocted and allocated according to the wishes of the leadership of the APC and INEC”, he pointed out. The PDP, therefore, demanded the outright deletion of the results from Zamfara from INEC records and a conduct of free, fair and credible Presidential election in the state. Raising further concerns, he said “also in Borno State, there was no election but a figure writing exercise and allocation of results according to the whims and caprices of the APC leaders. We also demand the outright deletion of the results from Borno from INEC records and a conduct of free, fair and credible Presidential election in Borno State. “In Nasarawa, the PDP demands the immediate restoration of our over 157, 000 lawful and valid votes which were unlawfully and arbitrarily cancelled by INEC and the announcement of the actual results from the field. “Similarly, the PDP demands an immediate restoration of our over 79, 000 valid votes which were unlawfully cancelled by INEC in Kogi State and the announcement of the authentic results inclusive of the restored 79,000 votes. “In the FCT, the PDP demands the restoration of 27,000 valid votes unlawfully and arbitrarily cancelled by INEC and a declaration of the authentic result, inclusive of our restored 27,000 votes. “In Plateau, the PDP demands the immediate restoration of our over 30,000 lawful and valid votes, which were unlawfully cancelled particularly in Jos North and the declaration of the genuine results as delivered at the polling units inclusive of our 30,000 restored votes”. The party called on Nigerians to disregard the results until INEC provides the data from the smart card reader accreditation at the polling units, conducts fresh election in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara states as well as “restore our votes in Plateau, FCT, Kogi and Nasarawa states”. It maintained that from the actual votes delivered at the polling units with copies of results available to PDP, Nigerians clearly and unequivocally gave their mandate to Atiku Abubakar. In sharp reaction on Tuesday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) advised the international media and observers not to allow the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) `take them for a ride’ as regard to the process of the collation of results of the presidential and National Assembly elections. Director, Strategic Communications, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, gave the advice in a statement in Abuja. He said the advice had become necessary in view of the attempts by the main opposition party to discredit and destabilise the process of the collation. He acknowledged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had done a good job in the conduct of the elections in spite of the challenges and the delays experienced in some cases. “It has become imperative to issue this statement against the backdrop of the dangerous extent to which the main Opposition Party (PDP) is taking the machinations to discredit and destabilise the process that would lead to a logical completion of the February 23, 2019, Presidential Elections by way of announcement of results in line with the established procedure in the Electoral Law. “Overall and from reports received in the Situation Room of the Election Planning and Monitoring Directorate of the All Progressives Congress from across our country, at this point it is safe to conclude that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has done a good job despite the challenges and the delays experienced in some cases. “With over 84 million Permanent Voters Cards (71 million collected), mobilising the citizenry to exercise their democratic right to vote has been a massive undertaking but, thankfully, it was conducted largely peacefully and on schedule. “We wish to acknowledge and thank all the regional, continental and global observer groups that have acknowledged the peaceful, transparent process in their various preliminary reports issued earlier today. “Against this backdrop, the plethora of unconstitutional acts by the main opposition (PDP) and its sympathisers like urging a premature declaration of its candidate as winner and filling the social media space with fake results transcend all boundaries of decent conduct,’’ he said. Keyamo, however, urged the nation’s international friends, observers and patriotic Nigerians not to be deceived. He added: “Very early in the build up to the Elections, the Peoples Democratic Party and its Presidential candidate embarked on a cynical plan to discredit INEC as a backup plan in the likely event of their losing the election. “You would recall, in this respect, unsubstantiated and wild claims made by Candidate Atiku and his cohorts that were all designed to put a question mark around INEC and damage the faith of the electorate in the democratic process. “This is an assault on our democracy; it is an affront to millions of Nigerians who trooped out to exercise their civic duty by voting in the elections. “The PDP is, in essence and most unfortunately, saying that if they don’t win fairly then they are willing to tear down the walls to get their way by hook or by crook.’’ He maintained that the announcements of results by INEC would be concluded in due course in spite of the opposition’s `unjustifiable and provocative stance”. “Our elections have progressed over the years and we ask that the PDP do not derail us to the dark past with its childish antics. “The announcements by INEC which has gotten underway will be concluded in due course. Let us all be patient and let this credible process take its course,’’ he said.