History Beckons As Buhari Sets To Unseat Jonathan

Barring any attempt to scuttle the will of the people, the stage seems set for a change of leadership in the nation’s polity with results of the weekend’s presidential polls indicating that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd), is in comfortable lead in three of the country’s six geo-political zones.

The zones include the two largest ones – North West and South West. Buhari also polled more votes than his arch-rival and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan, in North East zone.

The incumbent president clinched the South South and the South East. Both candidates have shared the spoils in in North Central zone with Buhari winning in Kogi, Kwara and Niger states while Jonathan cornered Nasarawa, Plateau and Benue.

Our correspondents reported that from results trickling in from the collation centres, the former military head of state has emerged the preferred choice of the people in the presidential poll.

“There is no doubt the race has been won and lost and that Gen Buhari has won,” a source at the INEC office confided in LEADERSHIP.

“Clearly, it is three zones to two; and after winning North West which has Kano and South West with Lagos, the two most populated states and zones, nothing can stop him.”

Jonathan lost vital polling units, including the one at the seat of power where he resides, Aso Villa, Abuja.

Many of his cabinet members, including the minister of education, Ibrahim Shekarau; his Federal Capital Territory (FCT) counterpart, Bala Mohammed, and the minister of state (II) for foreign affairs,

Musliu Obanikoro posted dismal results in their home units. Many other high-profile politicians lost their polling units to opposition parties.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to announce the result of the presidential election, but the director of media, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO), Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, claimed, in a press statement yesterday, that Jonathan had won in 23 states and APC in 14. Nigeria has 36 states.


APC spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, however, raise the alarm that President Jonathan and his cronies were working round the clock to manipulate the people’s mandate by unlawfully coveting majority votes or rendering the elections inconclusive.

When asked, INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, faulted Fani-Kayode’s claim that the PDP was leading in 23 states, or 64 percent, in the presidential poll.

He said that the only results received were from two states, Ekiti and Ogun.

He also declared that the commission was not under any pressure to declare the outcome of the presidential election inconclusive, while expressing worry at the crisis in River State, stating that the commission was investigating it and would take a position soon.



APC wins 7 LGs in Kano

According reports from Kano State, Buhari was leading with a wide margin in seven local government areas (LGAs) of the state. Also, all the APC candidates for seats in the House of Representatives and Senate were leading in the said LGAs.

The local councils so far announced were Bunkure, Makoda, Tsanyawa, Bagwai, Albasu, Kibiya and Kura LGAs respectively.

Spokesman of INEC, Kano office, announced the following:”Kibiya- APC 23,000 votes, PDP 4,999 votes; Gabasawa – APC 31,000 votes, PDP 8, 840 votes. Bagwai – APC 38 , 750 votes, PDP 8,159 votes; Kunchi – APC 24,542 votes, PDP 2,921 votes; Tsanyawa – APC 32,662 votes, PDP 4,819 votes, and Gaya -APC 38,085 votes, PDP 1, 888 votes.”

LEADERSHIP discovered that returning officers were retiring back to INEC office in the state with the results by press time.



Buhari sweeps Kaduna votes as Sambo loses own ward to APC

Reports from Kaduna State yesterday also indicated that Buhari was leading in most of the results collated from the various polling units across the 23 LGAs of the state.

Vice President Namadi Sambo, who had won in his new polling unit, however, lost again to the APC by a wide margin in his Kabala ward 05 in Kaduna North LGA.

Dr Husseini Momo Lawal of the Ahmadu Belo University, Zaria, who served as collation and returning officer in the vice president’s ward, announced that APC won the presidential election with 10,760 votes to PDP’s 1,760 votes.

Results collated from Shiba Ward 1 in Kaduna North LGA also indicated that the APC led with 3,871 votes while the PDP followed with 1,827 votes.

The presidential result coming from Ikara LGA showed that APC led with 49,146 while the PDP got 7,170 votes, and in Kubau LGA, the APC led with 63,875 votes while PDP got 6,377 votes in the presidential election.

The vice-president had changed his polling unit PU-011 on Swimming Pool road, near Police College, to avoid a repeat of the 2011 embarrassment after he lost his then polling unit.

Our correspondent gathered while incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan got block votes from Southern Kaduna senatorial district, his arch-rival of the APC, Gen Buhari, was cruising home with block votes from Kaduna Central and Kaduna North senatorial districts.

Buhari, according checks by our correspondent, was likely to win with about 60 percent of the votes.

 Kabiru Turaki, Bello Haliru lose wards to APC in Kebbi

Results emanating from Kebbi State revealed that President Jonathan’s henchmen failed to deliver their wards for the president and the PDP.

Former defence minister, Dr Bello Haliru, a onetime PDP chairman, failed to deliver his ward as results obtained from his Magajin Rafi polling unit indicated a landslide victory for the opposition APC.

The current minister of special duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), also failed to deliver his ward as the APC carpeted the PDP at Sarkin Zabarmawa polling unit.

Reports also said voters booed and threw pebbles at the minister before security operatives whisked him away.

The PDP national treasurer, Alhaji Buhari Bala, also failed to deliver his polling unit at Hassan Organiser polling unit.

Samaila Haliru Dankasa, who is the coordinator of TAN (Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, the top campaign team for President Jonatahn re-election bid) in Kebbi State, could not also win his ward for the PDP. He failed to deliver his Garkar Sarkin Zabarmawa polling unit

Reports gathered by LEADRSHIP indicated Jonathan might not secure 25 per cent of the votes in Kebbi.



Jonathan favoured in Benue

Reports from Benue State indicated that Jonathan was in the lead in five local governments areas so far collated.

The INEC resident electoral officer (REC) in the state, Mr Istafanus Dafwang, who received the results from collation officers at Makurdi, revealed that they were from the Benue South senatorial district.

The results in Benue North East and Benue North West senatorial districts were yet to be collated.

The already announced LGAs include Ado, Okpokwu, Ohimini, Agatu and Ogbadibo respectively. The results indicated that in Ado, Jonathan polled 7,382 to Buhari’s 2,328 votes.

In Okpokwu LGA, Jonathan scored 12,103 votes, while Buhari got 4,757, and in Ohimini, the president led with 5,909 against Buhari’s 4,734.

Jonathan also defeated Buhari in Agatu, home of the PDP deputy governorship candidate in Benue, John Ngbede, with a wide margin of 9,555 votes against 3,627. In Ogbadibo, it was a slim win for the president as he got 6,937 votes to main rival’s 6,257 votes.

Meanwhile, the APC in the state has accused the ruling PDP of trying to manipulate the results of presidential and National Assembly elections in the three senatorial districts of the state.

The media director of Ortom/Abounu governorship campaign organization, Mr Tahav Agerzua, who made this allegation in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP, said, “Especially in the Benue North senatorial District where APC has won obviously, the PDP is trying to manipulate it.”

 SOURCE: Leadership