By Awaal Gata and Ayoni Agbabiaka
For the presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as early as 8a.m. voters had gathered en masse to cast their votes.
The turnout, as observed by an accredited Domestic Observer, Mathew Braimo, was unprecedented in the territory, adding that it was the same across the country “because voters had never been this sensitized in the history of this nation.”
However, many of the voters were disappointed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its officials were unable to take the election materials to the various polling units before 9a.m.
At Jahi, as at 8:30a.m. our correspondent observed that only security agents were available at the locations where voting was to take place; and after a while, the irate voters began to return home.
The situation was the same at Dei-Dei, Zuba, Apo, Dutse and Gwagwalada.
“We have waited for over two hours now and no news of the INEC officials. This is how things happen in this country; this wasn’t what INEC told us. But for me, I will wait until I vote, even if it will take two days,” a voter who gave his name simply as Dauda lamented.
When the materials later arrived, accreditation quickly started and was running smoothly in all the polling units visited, but was unable to be concluded at the time stipulated by INEC, consequently delaying the voting. The voting and counting, however, stretched into the night, thanks to the generator sets provided by some nearby voters to light up the polling stations.
Where generator sets were not provided, car headlights were used.
In places like Gwagwa and Karimu, voting and counting continued till early hours of Sunday.
Some polling units did not finish the election until midnight as voters stayed back to cast their votes and also await the announcement of the results for the presidential, senate and house of representative election.
INEC officials and the corps members on the adhoc list of the INEC in these areas were made to stay up till the last man had voted in these polling units.
In Gwagwa, results were announced at about 2am on Sunday.
Right at the polling unit 001 located just outside the official residence of the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, in Life Camp tension rise at the polling unit following an attempt by an INEC Polling Officer (PO) to smuggle a card reader away from the polling unit.
Some eagle-eyed party agents and voters who were vigilant, immediately intercepted the NYSC adhoc staff of INEC, demanding an explanation for the action.
The said official said the card reader had developed fault after only been able to access just three cards and needed to be changed. The agents who felt his action and explanation is doubtful bared him from stepping out of the centre with the card reader.
The party agents argued intensely with the other INEC officials who tried to intervene in the matter; saying that the PO should have informed them about the development so that they could accompany him to wherever he was going to change the device as he claimed.
One of the party agents at the polling unit, Zakari Abubakar, said, “but he cannot just carry it away like that without informing us (party agents). I suspect a foul play that is why lams raising alarm and if they bring another card reader without us accompanying them we are not going to allow them to use it.
He said further that: “What I expect of INEC is that they should have informed us. At least one agent each from the parties present here should follow them so that they will not just carry any one from anywhere and bring here. There is nothing that is not possible in Nigeria.”
However, a INEC official brought a new card reader, taking away the faulty one. This action further infuriated the party agents who further pointed out that the faulty card reader should be kept at the centre and returned to INEC after the voting exercise.
For the presidential election in the territory, PDP emerged victorious. The FCT returning officer said the party polled the total of 157,195 while the All Progressive Congress (APC) polled a total of 146, 399 out of the 306, 805 valid votes.
Though two polling units were cancelled in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC)as a result of ‘over voting’ while another polling unit in Tafa, Bwari Area council was also cancelled.
The total number of votes cancelled in Bwari Area Council, he said, was 1,785 and 5,481 in AMAC.
Total number of registered voters in FCT are: 886,573 and the total number of accredited voters are 344,056.
Other political parties votes by their acronyms were as follows: AA 139; ACPN 342; AD 240; ADC 288; APA 674; CPP 347; HOPE 83; KOWA 165; NCP 473; PPN 269; UDP 95 and UPP got 96 votes.
For the Abuja South Federal Constituency election, Zakari Angulu-Dobi of APC defeated Danladi Etsu Zhin of PDP and Usman Jiya of PDM.
Announcing the result in Kwali, the Returning Officer, Dr. Sani Saka, said Angulu-Dobi polled 14,486 votes while Zhin and Jiya got 12,431 and 888 respectively.
Saka said that Angulu defeated his opponent, Mr. Danladi Etsu Zhin, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 12,431 votes, while Usman Jiya of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) got 888 votes.
All the four INEC collation officers comprising Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada and Kuje had earlier announced their results separately before it was finally summed together in Kwali.
Reacting to the result, Dobi commended INEC for conducting a peaceful and transparent election in the history of the country.
He commended the of people for coming out en-masse to exercise their civi duty, which led to his victory.
“And for my opponent from the PDP who has lost out and who also is not only my friend but brother, Danladi Etsu Zhin, he should come and join hands with me so that we will move Abuja South Constituency forward’’, he said.
For the FCT Senate, the incumbent Senator, Philip Aduda, a PDP candidate, defeated Sidi Ali of APC.