The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ibeju-Lekki State Constituency I, Mr Fatai Mojeed, winner of the supplementary election in the area. INEC conducted supplementary election in nine polling units of the state constituency after the commission had declared the March 9 election in the constituency inconclusive, because of over-voting in the nine polling units, covering two Registration Areas (Ward).
Prof. Rasheed Ojikutu, the Returning Officer for the election, announced the result for the election at the Collation Centre located in INEC office in Ibeju-Lekki council at about 6:30 pm. Ojikutu, of the Department of Actuarial Science and Insurance, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Lagos, first read out scores of each political party in March 9 election, before announcing the total votes in the supplementary poll.
According to him, in March 9 election, APC polled 8,525 votes and PDP scored 1, 786, SDP got 63, ADP scored 54 votes, Accord got 50 votes, AD polled 59 votes while other political parties scored less than 40 votes each. He said that Mojeed polled a total of votes 9,484 to defeat his closest rival from the Peoples Democratic Party (NAN) Mrs Tare Oliver who got 1,901 votes. Ojikutu said that the total registered voters were 122, 442, while the total accredited voters for the election were 12,245. The party agents took turns to sign the results.
Earlier, Dr Adeola Afonja, the Collation Officer for Ibeju Ward I, reeled out the scores obtained by each of the parties in the six polling units where supplementary election was held in the ward. According to Afonja, the total registered votes of the six polling units where the supplementary election took place were 3,989. Of 12, 711 registered voters in the nine polling units, only 1,118 voters came out to vote in the supplementary election. After being declared winner, Mojeed, who could not hide his joy, thanked the people for the trust reposed in him and promised not to disappoint them. (NAN)
Rerun: No Serving Commissioner Arrested, Says Kano Gov’t
Kano State Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, has debunked reports in the social media that the police have arrested a serving commissioner in the state during Saturday’s supplementary elections. Malam Garba also described the reported loss of life due to violence in some polling units as untrue.
He said these negative, false and disturbing reports were nothing but propaganda of the Kwankwasiyya movement of PDP designed and perpetrated to discredit the conduct of the rerun in the affected areas as they envisaged clear defeat. He said the elections were conducted peacefully and smoothly adding that there is any breach of law or wrongdoing from the government side as alleged and mischievously spread by the PDP. Malam Muhammad Garba therefore called on Kano citizens to disregard these fake news and propaganda and remain calm as collation of results continues.
Police Deny Killings in Kano Rerun Poll
A Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Anthony Ogbizi Michael, has debunked social media reports of killings in Gama ward in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State during the supplementary election on Saturday. DIG Michael blamed the social media for spreading the fake news. “There has not been report of any incident of thugs taking over polling unit. If thugs occupy any polling unit definitely INEC officials will not be there to conduct election,” he said. Michael said the police command arrested 10 suspected thugs for allegedly carrying weapons in the metropolis.
