Voters in Kogi State came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise in an election in which exit poll showed that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Audu is inching towards an early lead.
As at 1am, no result from the Kogi governorship election which held yesterday had been brought to the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the results were still being collated at the various local governments across the state. However, exit polls showed that Audu was ahead of the current governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Idris Wada, and 20 others in the race. Nevertheless, INEC has said it would announce the results of the election at 6am today.
There are 22 candidates contesting for the number one seat at the State Government House popularly called Lord Lugard House but Audu and Wada are the two main candidates and they have shown that they are strongly on ground as both of them have won in their respective polling units and wards.
Even though there was a large turn-out for the election, which was regarded as peaceful, Wada has alleged manipulation of the poll as the card reader could not recognise his thumb print, claiming also that it failed in some of the polling units.
Meanwhile, exit poll results obtained by THISDAY indicated that Audu was in the lead. At the Crowther College polling unit in Lokoja, exit poll revealed that APC polled 169, while PDP got 129. At another polling unit, Amole Open Space, exit poll showed that APC scored 148, while PDP got 110, LP scored 8, APGA and APA secured only one each.
Also according to exit poll, at the Cinema Hall polling unit in Lokoja, APC scored 185 as against PDP’s 167 votes. At the Ogbuonicha polling unit where Audu voted, exit poll showed that APC swept the poll with 240 votes to PDP’s zero.
Other results in some polling units in Kogi West, according to exit poll were: Kabba/Bunu, at St. Barnabas Polling Unit in Odolu Ward: APC scored 206 as against PDP 95; lIjumu Ayere polling unit 03, APC 101, PDP 58; Ayegunle Gbede/Iluhafon ward: APC 167, PDP 41, Oja Otun Iyara: APC got 146 while PDP netted 36. At Demonstration School, Kabba Okekoko ward: APC 171, PDP 70 while at the Akefe polling unit, PDP scored 138 as against APC’s 117.
In Kogi West, there are seven local governments, but exit poll from five local governments showed APC was leading. According to exit poll from polling units in Yagba East, Yagba West, Ijumu and Kabba/Bunu, APC was leading. Mopa/Moro, where the Deputy Governor Yomi Awoniyi comes from, PDP was leading. Mopa/Moro is the smallest local government in Kogi West.
In Kogi East, exit poll showed that PDP was leading in Dekina, which has a huge population. Governor Wada hails from the area.
Audu is also said to be leading in Ofu LG of Kogi East where he hails from.
In Kogi Central, exit poll showed that PDP was leading in Ogori Magogo, while APC was leading in Ajaokuta.
THISDAY gathered that the announcement of the final results might have been delayed because of the size of most of the polling unit areas and the fact that collation of the results did not commence early enough due to delayed voting time.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Halilu Pai, who gave 6am as the time for the announcement of the results said the commission would wait for the election results from all the Local Government Areas to arrive Lokoja before announcing them.
Speaking to THISDAY while inspecting the INEC Situation Room in readiness to welcome the results from the field, Pai said the results from various local councils were likely going to be in agreed order.
“It is difficult for me to say when the announcement of the results can begin but I can tell you that so far we have reports that Ogori Magogo Local Government Area is about concluding result collation and it is one of the smallest council areas in the state. For large polling areas, they are still collating results and this will take a little more time than others,” he said.
Pai said due to the anxiety that trailed the conduct of the governorship election, the commission will not like to declare the results in piece meal, but assured that once all results come in, it will be released in alphabetical order.
Journalists, party agents, observers and other stakeholders kept vigil, waiting for the arrival of election results.
The governorship election witnessed a large turn-out of voters, who trooped out to perform their civic duties under a relatively peaceful atmosphere.
Reacting to yesterday’s election, Wada expressed reservation over the credibility of the poll.
He said: “The level of manipulation was demeaning but what made me really happy was the large turn-out of people, particularly in Dekina local government.
“The people came out enthusiastically, but the card reader failed in many places and INEC wasn’t proactive enough to make the Incident Form available early enough, so that will lead to many people not being given an opportunity to exercise their civic right and responsibility.
“I am happy that our people have come out enthusiastically to support democracy and that’s the pleasing aspect and that’s why government has a responsibility to conduct a credible process. Some of them left their villages early for accreditation and after that they can’t go back home. So, they wait until they can vote and then go home. So, you need to establish a smooth and expeditious process to enable them go home.”
Wada, who had to use the Incident Form to vote as a result of failure of the card reader to recognise his finger print, alleged that INEC and certain leaders of the ruling party were bent on rigging the election for his main rival, Audu Abubakar. He, however, exonerated President Muhammadu Buhari over what he called the mind-boggling manipulation that trailed the exercise.
The governor said: “I don’t see federal connivance but I see manipulation by some leaders of a political party. So, I don’t think it is a direct Federal Government manipulation. It is a party that hasn’t sold its programme properly, that hasn’t won the hearts of people, its leadership was actively involved in manipulation.
“There are allegations that are mind-boggling that I can’t say right here; we are gathering evidence involving top leaders of APC. It is unbelievable! We never sat down one day to strategise on how to manipulate the process. We campaigned throughout the length and breadth of the state.
“After I tried 10 times, my thumb and two index fingers, none of the card readers worked and there were two machines. I tried both, yet, it didn’t work. I suspect some kind of conspiracy to deny all those people who came out an opportunity to vote.”
Thisday