For the second time in a fortnight, Nigerians went to the polls to elect governors in 29 of the 36 states, all state assemblies and administrative councils in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. Vote counting began after polls closed on Saturday in the keenly fought governorship and state assembly elections, held against a backdrop of heightened political tensions and insecurity. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to announce the results in a few days.
Saturday’s voting was mostly peaceful but there were reports of abductions, violence and vote buying, as well as at least 10 deaths before and on polling day. The Situation Room umbrella group of more than 70 civil society monitoring organizations recorded seven deaths on Saturday; just weeks after 53 people were killed in presidential polls. Some election workers protested at the non-payment of their 10,000-naira ($28, 25-euro) salaries, and technical issues with biometric card readers delayed voting elsewhere.
INEC meanwhile said some of its staff had been abducted by “thugs” in Rivers and Akwa Ibom.
Many voters, as well as opposition parties, complained about the “militarization” of the vote, given the strong presence of troops on the ground. The beaten presidential election candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, said the involvement of the military was “unconstitutional.”
The PDP is hoping for victory in some of the 22 states currently run by President Muhammadu Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Five journalists and two staff from the CoolWazobiaInfo FM Radio station were abducted for four hours by gunmen in military camouflage in the Rivers state capital Port Harcourt. They were later released unharmed.
Governorship and state assembly elections mean more to voters than the presidential ballot. Governors are powerful and influential figures in federal politics, controlling state finances and responsible for key areas from education to health. They can also provide a strong collective voice in Abuja.
Voting patterns are often predicted to broadly mirror presidential polling. But initial indications were of a low turn-out, with the military blamed as well as voter apathy after a disorganized and delayed presidential vote in February. Most domestic and international observers said last month’s presidential vote was credible, despite well-documented problems. But tensions remain high as the PDP challenges the result in court. Accusations from the two main parties, accusing the other of conspiring with INEC to rig the result, have not gone away.
Two people were killed and 35 vehicles destroyed in violence between party supporters in the southwest state of Lagos on Friday, the Situation Room said. In the southern states of Ebonyi and Bayelsa, two people were killed in each state, according to local reports. A further three including a local government chairman, were killed on Friday in the volatile state of Rivers, according to Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi; a former governor of Rivers. “The killings happened because the military were not on the ground,” he said after voting in his hometown.
The PDP governor, Nyesom Wike, had accused the military of complicity in the killing of 16 people in the Abonnema area of the state. Adding to tensions in Rivers this time is a court ruling barring any APC candidates from standing in the gubernatorial election because of procedural irregularities in the selection process. INEC meanwhile said tens of thousands of voters could be affected by fires at its offices in the southern states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi, and central Benue.
