The wind of change blowing across the country again resonated on Saturday in many states that the ruling PDP has governed since the return of civil rule in 1999.
Results monitored by LEADERSHIP indicated that Benue, Niger, Jigawa and Katsina States have fallen to the winning streak of APC, whose presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, won the March 28 presidential election against the incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP.
In the governorship and house of assembly elections, a similar pattern of the “historic change” was seen in most of the states hitherto considered PDP strongholds...
Although final figures are still being compiled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), our correspondents reported that the APC was “progressively leading” in most of the polling units monitored.
In Niger State, the APC candidate, Abubakar Bello, was jubilant and excited members of the party were seen celebrating across the state’s 25 local government areas.
In Benue, the successes of Senators Barnabas Gemade and George Akume in the National Assembly election also rubbed off on the APC candidate for the state, Samuel Ortom.
Ortom resigned from the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the state’s number one job. He was maintaining a comfortable lead in 18 of the 23 local governments at press time.
At the Government House polling unit, Ortom scored 145 votes to beat his PDP opponent, Terhemen Tarzoor, who polled 119 votes.
Also at Annunne Market Square Polling Unit in Tarka local government area, the APC polled 324 votes to PDP’s 14 votes.
However, Tarzoor is said to have polled a total of 152 votes at the Ankpa Ward Polling Unit, an area where he grew up, to Ortom’s 150 votes.
Contrary to expectations that PDP’s Jimi Agbaje backed by the non-natives of Lagos State will replace Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, the APC candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode is conveniently coasting home to victory.
Results from the polling units indicated that Agbaje scored higher in Igbo-dominated communities like Amuwo Odofin and Oshodi/Isolo, but he lost by win margins in most polling units of Lagos East Senatorial District and Alimosho which have the largest populations in the state. Ambode was said to be in firm control of at least 15 of the 20 local government areas of the state.
Plateau also surprisingly favoured APC from the unit-by-unit analysis.
In Imo State, Governor Rochas Okorocha also cast off the state-sponsored rigging of the presidential election against his party, the APC, in the state to launch into an early lead, ahead of closest rivals, Emeka Ihedioha (PDP) and Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho (APGA).
Also, Kaduna State, which had been ruled by PDP for 16 years, had Malam Nasir el-Rufai of the APC ahead of the incumbent governor, Mukhtar Yero, who hinted that things might not work his way.
Shortly after accreditation in Zaria, yesterday, Yero told his supporters and the entire people of state to accept the outcome of the election, whichever way it went.
Similarly, in Katsina, former speaker, House of Representatives and candidate of the APC, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari appeared to cut short the winning streak of the PDP in the state since 1999.
President-elect Buhari was in Katsina on Thursday to attend the final rally for APC’s governorship and state House of Assembly candidates in Saturday’s elections, and he pleaded with the people of his home state to vote for his party’s candidates.
Jigawa has also returned to the APC fold with results indicating that a majority of the House of Assembly seats as well as that of the governor went to APC. The state was governed by the All Nigeria People Party (ANPP) before the PDP took it over in 2007.
A similar situation is also playing out in Kebbi State as the APC governorship candidate, Senator Atiku Bagudu, is coasting home to victory and leading the PDP candidate Gen Sarkin Yaki Bello, in most of the local government areas of the state.
Why My Wife Didn’t Accompany Me To Vote – Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan went to polling unit 039, Ward 13 in Ogbia Constituency 3 yesterday without his wife, Dame Patience.
The development was the first time the couple would be the first time the couple would not be voting together since the return of democracy in 1999.
Jonathan had arrived at 1:50pm unaccompanied by Dame Patience. Jonathan explained her absence: “We used different aircraft. She was supposed to be here. And we’ve been expecting her and we hope she will still come. The only problem is whether she will meet up with the accreditation period. But, she is supposed to be on her way.”
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