Early results from Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State indicated that Governor Idris Wada and Prince Abubakar Audu, the two front-runner candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) respectively, were in a photo-finish contest.
Results monitored from some polling units at the time of going to press showed that both candidates had put up good showing but the contest was too close to call.
Though the collated results of the election were not announced by midnight, counting had begun and had been concluded in many polling units.
But shockingly, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, Director General of Governor Idris Wada Campaign Organisation, lost in his polling unit, Ward A, Lokoja, where he voted. The PDP polled 158 votes in the unit while the APC polled 200. Ogheha also lost in Ward E, Pata Koto North Area, where his family house is. PDP polled 172 and APC 202.
APC’s candidate, Audu, won in his polling unit 002, LGEA School, Ogbonicha/Ofeche, Ochi-Ogbonicha Omodofa Ward 10 with 240 votes.
The voting pattern showed that Wada was taking the lead in Kogi Central senatorial district and Audu was leading in Kogi West while they shared the votes in Kogi East where they both come from.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner Halilu Pai, announced late last night that collation of results from the local government areas would commence at 6am today.
The voting process was peaceful in most of the polling units in the state, despite mounting fears over the poor performance of the card readers which delayed the commencement of voting in some of the polling units.
First to raise alarm over malfunctioning a card reader was Governor Wada, who alleged that there was a plot to frustrate the governorship election in the state with the card reader.
A mild drama occurred at the governor’s polling unit 001 in Odu Ogbuyaga Market Square in Dekina where the name and picture of his wife, Hajiya Halima Wada were not found on the accreditation sheet.
Mrs Wada was, however, allowed to complete her accreditation after the card reader was able to recognise her fingerprint and her name eventually found in the original voters’ register of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Protesting over the delay in accreditation in his unit, Governor Wada said, “There is no Incidence Form, there is no photocopy machine. So, how are people going to vote? It seems to be a deliberate attempt to frustrate the whole process. I am going to call the REC now when I leave here and I hope that they are going to do something about it.
“Most Nigerians were looking forward to this election, and personally before I came here, I believed that the whole process was free and it would be fair. There is massive security, yet we are hearing incidence of thuggery, we are hearing incidence of people wearing soldiers’ uniforms and going to Ogodor now, incidences of people snatching ballot boxes at Iyanor ward.
“It is wrong; in Ayingba, I just heard a report now that ballot boxes are being snatched and thumb-printing is going on. It is completely unnecessary in this kind of election. After all the campaigns, people should be allowed to exercise their right.”
Asked whether the Federal Government was behind what he was alleging, the governor who denied that it had anything to do with Federal might, said the plot to frustrate the voting process was a local arrangement within the state.
Governorship poll transparent, peaceful- Audu
But the APC governorship candidate, Abubakar Audu gave a different view of the governorship poll, saying INEC’s conduct of the poll across the state was peaceful and transparent.
Just like the governor, Audu also expressed worry over cases of ballot box snatching in some polling units in the state like in Ayingba, adding however that such reports reaching him were unconfirmed.
He said, “So far, so good, it is well-organised. Even during the time of PDP, they will make sure that election conducted in this polling unit is free, fair and credible so as to attract my commendation, but in other polling units, it isn’t like that.
“PDP has been snatching boxes in Igo, Onicha-Igo, at Ankpa. But like I said, it was unconfirmed reports and we have asked our people to report to law enforcements agents.”
Boasting that he would emerge victorious over his major opponent, Wada, the former governor said, “Today is the day God will give the people of Kogi, the power, the strength and the wisdom to effect the long overdue change in Kogi State. By the special grace of God, after this election, Kogi will join the mantra of change that is going round the country”.
Voting commenced in Audu’s polling unit Ogbonicha Ward in Ofu local government area at about 1:30pm, while the APC candidate cast his vote at about 1:40pm.
The deputy governor of the state, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi also admitted that the governorship poll as conducted by INEC was peaceful.
Speaking shortly after casting his vote at Ward 4, Unit 4, Mopa in Mopa-Amuro local government area of the state at about 1:45pm, Awoniyi told journalists that it was the very first time INEC was arranging such a peaceful election.
“Everything has been calm and peaceful except at ward 7 Unit 1, where there was little crisis which has been resolved,” he said, even as he urged the people of Kogi to abide by the electoral laws by voting peacefully.
Awoniyi also assured that PDP would follow due process after the results of the election were announced.
Meanwhile, early results that trickled in from some of the polling units showed that the governorship candidates of the PDP and that of the APC were running a tight race.
There was heavy security presence all over the state even though security operatives got to their points of deployment a bit late.
Some of them on patrol said they went looking for petrol in the black market to fuel their vehicles to take them to their respective destination, because of scarcity of fuel in the country.
-Leadership