Guber Early Indications from 13 states: CPC, ACN Threaten PDP States

Posted by admin Abia, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, Elections 2011, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, NNP Elections 2011 Updates, Ogun, Oyo, State News Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

• Niger, Nasarawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Oyo, Ogun affected

• Imo dicey-Low voter turnout in several states

• Police detonate bomb near INEC office in Delta

Early results trickling in from different zones indicate that the opposition Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) are making serious inroads into erstwhile Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlled states.

While the CPC was gaining significant grounds in Niger, Nasarawa, Katsina, and Kebbi, the ACN was powering through Oyo and Ogun states.

In Oyo State, the ACN was leading in 11 of the 15 Local Government Areas where the results had been declared at the time of filing this report, while the PDP was leading in four LGAs.

As at press time, In Nasarawa the CPC and the PDP were slugging it out in the major towns where the results were being collated. But the results from the rural areas may tilt the scale in favour of the CPC.

In Lagos State, the indications were fairly clear that Governor Babatunde Fashola was coasting to victory.

But PDP governorship candidates were making a strong showing in Benue, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi and Delta, while the situation in Imo, a PDP state, was dicey.

The speed of the collation processes dictates the times the results would be announced.

The state resident electoral commissioners are statutorily empowered to announce results in their respective states.

The governorship and state house of Assembly elections in Enugu State ended in Enugu yesterday with candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leading in most of the polling centres.

Our correspondent, who monitored the elections, discovered that elections were peaceful in almost all the polling centres.

Though, INEC in the state was yet to officially announce the results, LEADERSHIP gathered that candidates of the ruling party including the incumbent governor, Sullivan Chime were ahead of candidates of opposition parties including Dr. Dan Shere of the Peoples For Democratic Change (PDC), Chief Okey Ezea of the Labour Party (LP) and Obinna Obiegue of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Our correspondent observed that there was low turnout of voters in some polling centres apparently due to the absence of some people who travelled to their villages for the Easter celebrations.

Speaking to journalists at the Amachalla Polling Center in Igbo Eze North local government area, the local government chairman, Chijioke Ugwu commended INEC for conducting credible and peaceful elections which had eluded the country for many years.

Special adviser to governor Chime on transport, Prince Emeka Mamah in his speech, stated that he was optimistic that his boss and other PDP candidates would be re elected.

Meanwhile, following the mass evacuation of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members following post election violence that swept through some parts of the north, the INEC yesterday confirmed the possibility of a likely shortfall for the April 28 rescheduled elections in Kaduna and Bauchi.

Addressing newsmen yesterday evening, INEC’s chairman, information and publicity committee (IPC) Prince Solomon Soyebi, said at the commission’s headquarters: “In Bauchi, the fear of having adhoc problem is real.”

Soyebi said in the case of Kaduna, the problem of shortfalls was not as evident as that of Bauchi.

As post election violence broke out in many parts of the north leading to the death of scores of corps members strangely targeted by mobs, many state government in the aftermath massively evacuated corps members. Corps members form a critical mass of polling personnel.

Soyebi said the commission had adequate contingency measures to contain the possible shortfalls in the states.

Soyebi said this yesterday while briefing journalists at INEC headquarters in Abuja. He added that necessary measures were being put in place to avoid the declaration of a state of emergency in the two states.

Soyebi said, “The commission has put every measure in place to ensure that we have a very successful election so as not to breach the constitution.

Meanwhile, barely a day after two bomb blast rocked Maiduguri, killing three and wounding many others, two more bomb blasts occurred yesterday at Baga road and Gawo Number wards of the metropolis.

One of the victims, a driver Mallam Auwalu Adamu told our correspondent that he was conveying INEC officials and elections materials to their various polling units, when his vehicle matched a bomb buried in a pot hole by the road side at Gawon Number.

He said there was no casualty only that the tyre of the bus was shattered by the bomb, adding that this did not stop them from conveying the material to the polling units, as they immediately changed the tyre and moved on.

Our correspondent also gathered that another bomb blast occurred at Baga road of the metropolis, where some suspected miscreants threw a bomb at the road side uprooting a tree, but there was no casualty, as the streets were deserted due to the restriction of movement.

Confirming the two incidents on phone to newsmen, the Borno State commissioner of police Mr. Mike Zuokumor said that two bomb blasts occurred at Gawon Number and Baga road, but no casualty was recorded.

Our correspondent also reports that the multiple bomb explosions that rattled Maiduguri in the last few weeks seriously affected the gubernatorial elections, as people were scared of the explosions.

However, as at the time of filling in this report security has been beefed up as security personnel were seen patrolling the streets of the metropolis.

Meanwhile, seven persons between the ages of 18 to 25 were arrested along Kashim Ibrahim road by the security agent in Maiduguri trying to plant bombs.

Confirming the two incidents, the Borno State commissioner of police Mr. Mike Zuokumor said that the hoodlums were apprehended by the men of the state security service trying to plant bombs.

Violence and hijacking of election materials yesterday marred the conduct of the House of Assembly elections in Bayelsa State leading to the arrest of 13 persons including a corps member, a mobile policeman and a soldier serving outside the State over acts inimical to the election.

Six youths suspected to be hired thugs of a former local government chairman in the Kolokuma/Opokuma local council area were apprehended at Opokuma for allegedly unleashing mayhem on some polling units close to the country home of the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Mr. Timi Alaibe.

But President Goodluck Jonathan, the governorship candidate of the LP, Mr. Timi Alaibe and the state governor, Chief Timipre Sylva commended the conduct of the state Assembly poll and agreed that the people have shown the desire to imbibe positive electoral practices that will aid development and unity.

Meanwhile, the police have detonated a bomb close to INEC office at Ogbe-Ijaw in Warri south local government area of Delta State. Confirming the story, police spokesman ASP Charles Muka said that there were also attempt to bomb the Burutu council boss house which was also averted adding that no arrest has been made while police were still investigating the situation, as nobody was injured or any life lost.

-Leadershipwp_posts