Nigeria polls: Dino Melaye tweets win, presidential results expected ‘soon’
Nigeria’s electoral commission chair Mahmood Yakubu declared on Sunday that he was generally happy with the progress made in the conduct of the presidential and national elections.
Yakubu, who was addressing journalists on Sunday following Saturday’s vote admitted that there had been some glitches in several parts of the country, including in the two capitals of Lagos and Abuja.
Nearly 73 million eligible voters cast their ballots from a pool of more than 70 presidential candidates in an election which was postponed the previous Saturday, just hours before it was due to begin, due to logistics.
Results are expected to start trickling in early on Monday with a “substantial number” likely on Tuesday, election commission official Festus Okoye said.
It is widely expected to be a tight presidential race between President Muhammadu Buhari and businessman Atiku Abubakar.
Scroll down to read about the following:
- Voting largely over, counting and collation underway
- Buhari wins in his, Atiku’s and Obasanjo’s wards
- Lagos hit by voting violence
- Anti-graft body deploys to fight vote buying
- Voting extended in areas where process started late
- Election body happy over functionality of card readers
- A three-pronged voting
- Nigeria’s presidential and legislative tenures
- Who is passed fit to vote?
- Election facts and figures
- Buhari votes, says he’ll congratulate himself
- Atiku votes, talks about ‘ successful transition
- Suspected terrorist attack in northeast with hours to opening of polls.
Time for results
The electoral commission is expected to start declaring results of the presidential election on Monday, including confirmation of official results for the National Assembly.
INEC officially opened the collation center for presidential election results in Abuja on Sunday.
‘‘There will be a formal inauguration and it is from there, hopefully in the not too distant future, the commission will make a formal declaration of who the next President of the Federal republic of Nigeria is,’‘ INEC chair Yakubu told journalists on Sunday.
“At the moment no SCOPE (State Collation Officer for the Presidential Election) is around. Some of them are expected tonight. Accordingly, proceedings are hereby adjourned.
We will reconvene at 11am tomorrow 25th February, 2019 for the collation of results”#NigeriaDecides2019 3,648 9:28 PM – Feb 24, 2019 2,090 people are talking about this
Dino Melaye tweets ‘victory’
Nigeria’s often controversial senator, Dino Melaye, who was contesting to retain his Kogi West seat tweeted on Monday morning, saying he had been declared winner.
‘‘I have just been declared winner of the Kogi West Senatorial District Election. God only You would have done this,’‘ read part of the tweet.
To God alone be the glory forever and ever. Amen. I have just been declared winner of the Kogi West Senatorial District Election. God only You would have done this. Kogi West I thank you all. I love you all. What a mighty God we serve. 11,5 k 03:02 – 25 févr. 2019
The senator, who uses his social media accounts to showcase a lavish lifestyle, had been posting different results from polling units across his constituency.
According to Sahara Reporters, Melaye, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 85,395 votes, against his closest opponent, Smart Adeyemi, who secured 66,901 votes.
INEC warns against unofficial results
INEC chairperson Mahmood Yakubu told journalists the commission was ‘generally satisfied’ with the vote, despite delays that caused it to be extended to Saturday night and in some cases Sunday.
Yakubu also cautioned against premature declaration of results by candidates, political parties and their associates.
“Only the Independent National Electoral Commission can tally figures, announce results and declare winners,’‘ Yakubu said.
Both Buhari and Atiku’s camps have claimed ‘resounding victories’, citing results from different polling units across the country.
Enough is enough?
Other than the official presidential results from INEC, senatorial results for Kwara Central, where current Senate president Bukola Saraki was challenged by Ibrahim Oloriegbe of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), are likely to be the most anticipated.
Several people have reported on social media that Saraki, who occupies the third most powerful political office in Nigeria, lost the race to retain his seat, thanks to what is being called the ‘Otoge’ movement (Enough is Enough)
Saraki, who defected from the APC to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), played a critical role in Atiku’s campaign.READ MORE: Nigeria Senate president explains return to main opposition PDP
If Saraki’s reported is loss is confirmed by INEC, it would be a major political upset for the senate president, who is also a former governor of Kwara State and whose father Olusola Saraki was a senator in Kwara from 1979 to 1983.
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