Tuesday’s governorship election would not spring too many surprises as most of the favourites were in comfortable leads.
Going by indications from the early results, THISDAY projects that Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), will be returned as the Governor of Lagos State by a very wide margin.
In Kwara State, the battle in the Saraki family may have ended in favour of the governor, Bukola, as results clearly indicate that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji AbdulFatah Ahmed, won in virtually all the local government areas in the state.
In Ogun State, Mr. Ibikunle Amosun, the ACN candidate, was in comfortable lead, with a very impressive outing across the length and breadth of the state.
Others, who should win their states, by THISDAY projections based on yesterday’s polls, are Alhaji Sule Lamido (Jigawa, PDP), Alhaji Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe, All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP) and Kashim Shettima (Borno, ANPP).
In Enugu State, Governor Sullivan Chime, the PDP candidate, looked good for a second term.
In Plateau, Jonah Jang (PDP) was leading in 13 local governments, while Pauline Tallen (Labour Party, LP) led in three, namely Wase, Kanam and Jos-North. Indications are that Jang would be returned.
The results were still being collated as at press time, but THISDAY predicts a very close race in Kano and Katsina States, where the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) seems to be losing its footing despite a strong showing in the presidential election on April 16.
The battle in Kano has suddenly become a straight fight between PDP’s Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso and ANPP’s Alhaji Salihu Sagir Taka, after the Court of Appeal declared Col. Jafar Isah as CPC’s candidate, as against the perceived popular choice, Alhaji Mohammed Abacha. Abacha’s supporters are said to have split their votes between ANPP and PDP in protest, but ANPP may win.
In Katsina, the home state of Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the CPC presidential candidate, the results seem to favour Alhaji Ibrahim Shema (PDP), perhaps owing to the last-minute change of candidate in the CPC.
Senator Lado Danmarke was displaced as the candidate by former speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari, by the Court of Appeal. CPC supporters were said to have been disenchanted with this and might have boycotted or cast their votes for other parties.
The turnout of Lagos State governorship election results from different polling units and wards across the state widely put Fashola ahead of his major opponent, Dr. Adegboyega Shamsuddeen Dosunmu of the PDP.
At Dosunmu’s polling unit in Ojuelegba, Fashola clearly coasted to victory with votes of 156 against Dosunmu’s 90.
The defeat of Dosunmu no doubt is a sharp contrast to the voting pattern during penultimate Saturday’s presidential election, the result of which gave the PDP in Lagos State, generally considered as the stronghold of the ACN.
At his polling unit located at State Junior Secondary School in Itolo area of Surulere, Fashola overwhelmingly won 317 votes compared with meagre votes of 17, which the PDP candidate managed to garner in the area.
Election results from other polling units in Fashola’s Ward G3 showed the incumbent governor winning with an astounding margin.
Also at Alausa Unit 001, which former Lagos State Governor and ACN National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu voted, Fashola successfully polled 303 votes compared with only 34 votes marginally cast for Dosunmu in the same unit.
Results from Alimosho, ACN’s strongest political base, also revealed a massive support for Governor Fashola.
Early results trickling in from some of the local government areas of Enugu State showed that Chime may be coasting home to victory.
But his other two major rivals, Dr Dan Shere of the People for Democratic Change (PDC) and Mr. Okey Ezea of the LP are garnering large chunk of votes.
In a result released by the Presiding Officer in Unadu poling unit in Igboeze South Local Government area, home council of the LP candidate, Chime polled 72 votes to beat Ezea who got 69 votes. Shere came a distant third with two votes.
Also, from Udi, Ezeagu and Oji-River Local Government areas, the governor also defeated his rivals, maintaining a high lead.
In most polling units in the councils, the PDP candidate was leading by 80 per cent against his closest rival, Ezea.
However, in Nkanu West and East, the LP candidate was sweeping the votes.
But, within Enugu metropolis, the PDC candidate trailed behind the governor.
In Ogun State, the governorship and House of Assembly elections went peacefully with large voter turnout.
Results announced at different polling units favoured ACN ahead of PDP and the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN).
In some polling units in Ogun Central, ACN's figures were high compared to those of PDP and PPN. In the Eastern and Western parts of the state, the pattern was similar.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who spoke with newsmen shortly after he cast his vote at the African Church Grammar School in Abeokuta, described the election as the most peaceful in the state.
Obasanjo, who also spoke on the post-election violence in the Northern part of the country, said Nigerians needed to educate themselves.
“We need to educate ourselves and we need to understand what is happening. There are changes taking place in Nigeria and those changes have to be internalised by all of us and we have to adjust to those changes," he said.
On his purported praise singing of the ACN governorship candidate in the state, the former president said those who said he was praising Amosun were mischievous people, saying that "it was deliberate fabrication of lies. All I said was that Amosun and I come from the same ward, Ward 11."
Speaking further, he said: "I said I know Amosun very well and nobody can say I do not know him, and I said from what I know of him, if he ever becomes the governor of Ogun State, his performance will not be different from that of Gbenga Daniel."
He continued: "They are friends and they are birds of the same feather. That was what I said and I do not see how that can mean that I endorsed Amosun. How can I? The chairman of Board of Trustees of a party? When the candidate of my party is contesting, and I will leave the candidate of my party to endorse the candidate of another party, and which party for that matter? And those who heard that should know that that is not my character.”
However, Amosun, who also addressed newsmen after casting his vote at Totoro polling unit area of the state, said: "I am very happy that the presiding officers came on time today. It has not been happening like that in the past. They have been there very early today and that has helped to make the process of accreditation much easier."
According to him, "I believe that Nigeria is at the verge of making history in the area of conducting free and fair elections," adding that "the only regret is that this morning in this area we caught somebody in this area who has been going about with mobile police."
"This does not say anything good about the opposition who have been trying to use armed policemen to intimidate voters. Anyway, we are investigating that. Outside of this, I am quite satisfied with the process. I discovered that Nigerians are now determined to ensure that their votes count," he added.
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state, Chief Adetunji Olurin, who also spoke with newsmen in Ilaro, described the turnout as impressive, saying that his party was sure of victory.
However, PPN governorship candidate, Prince Gboyega Isiaka, described the process as being fair enough to pass the test of free and fair election, saying, "from what we saw in the last two elections and even with this one that we had today, (yesterday), I think democracy is really improving in Nigeria and the people are responding also fairly well. So we expect that the result of the election will be fairly good at least from what we have seen so far."
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