Jonathan in early lead

Early results from some polling centres across the country showed President Goodluck Jonathan and Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in a tight race in the presidential election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission across Nigeria on Saturday. While Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party is believed to be having the upper hand in the South-South, South-East and South-West, Buhari led in many wards in the North-East, North-West and North-Central. But Buhari, who contested the poll under the umbrella of the Congress for Progressive Change, has already alleged foul play in the conduct of the exercise. A confident President Goodluck Jonathan, after casting his ballot at Otazi Playground Polling Unit in Otuabula Ward 13, Otuoke Bayelsa State, promised to quit his position as president if he fails to win the election. Malam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria and Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigerian Peoples Party also assured that they would accept defeat if the election was devoid of malpractices. Jonathan and Buhari performed excellently well in their wards, while Ribadu and Shekarau were floored in theirs. For instance, out of the 480 people that were accredited in the Otubula, 413 voted for the President. Ribadu and Buhari scored no votes. Eleven votes were voided, while the remaining 56 accredited voters left without voting because of the long queue at the centre. The President had impressive showing in Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Oyo, Plateau, Ekiti and Ondo states, where results from some polling centres indicated that he had the upper hand. Almost all the results from the South-East had not been made public as at 9 pm on Saturday. But results from three wards in Abia State indicated that Jonathan won in two, while the CPC won in one. In Sarkin Yara Ward, Buhari, a former Head of State, who on Thursday announced that Saturday’s election would be his last shot at the Presidency, scored 496 votes, while the PDP had no vote. The ANPP scored two and the ACN, two. The CPC floored the PDP again in Vice-President Namadi Sambo’s polling booth in Kaduna State. It scored 435 votes, while the PDP had 208. The PDP was said to have lost to the CPC in many polling booths in Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Kogi, Abuja, Niger, Kano, and Gombe, where results were made public as 8 pm on Saturday. Ribadu scored only 85 ballots in his ward in Yola town. The CPC had 260 votes, while the PDP had 64 votes. Jonathan had while casting his vote promised to use himself as an example to teach sit-tight leaders in Africa that political power belonged to the people. He said the result of the presidential poll would not cause political mayhem in Nigeria like in Ivory Coast, where Mr. Laurent Gbagbo refused to relinquish power after losing the November 2010 poll. The President said that for democracy to be consolidated in Nigeria, politicians must learn to respect the power of the ballot. He warned that democracy would be erected on a weak foundation if politicians attemptted to render the ballot paper useless. Jonathan, however, said he was happy that the country’s democracy was being consolidated on the power of the ballot, observing that the ongoing elections had restored people’s confidence in the electoral process. He recalled his involvement in elections conducted in 1999, 2003 and 2007 and concluded that Nigerians had shown more interest and commitment in the 2011 elections than they did in previous ones. According to him, the massive turnout recorded on Saturday had further emphasised people’s belief in the credibility and transparency of the process. Describing the conduct of the election as a new dawn in Nigeria, the President who was accompanied by a retinue of security officials said it was high time politicians realised that power belonged to the people. He said as part of his insistence on a transparent process, he had refused to interfere with the operations of INEC. Jonathan, who was accompanied by his wife, Patience and his mother, said he gave INEC freedom it required to give Nigerians their chosen leaders. When asked his opinion about the possibility of a run-off, he prayed against such development. Referring to the country’s large population and cost of organising another election, he prayed that the winner of the presidential election should emerge in the first ballot. According to him, deciding the winner in the first ballot would reduce the tension in the country and minimise cost. He said, “I’m indeed happy that we’re consolidating democracy. Democracy must be built on a solid foundation. Foundation of which democracy is built on is the power of the ballot paper. If the ballot paper means nothing, then there is no democracy. Nigeria is now experiencing true democracy where we the politicians have to go to the people because the power belongs to the people. “The power does not belong to the politicians. It belongs to the people as expressed in ballot boxes. People have shown high degree of commitment so you can describe it as a new dawn in our political evolution. “I promised I would contest the election as an incumbent president and I would not influence the electoral process. And that has been demonstrated in previous elections. “I don’t know whether it will go into run-off. But I pray that we don’t go into such because of its implications. Nigeria is a very big country to conduct another round of election. “If I lose. I will leave because that is what we are talking about.” Buhari had before the results started trickling in alleged that thumb-printed ballot ballot papers were airlifted to different states in an attempt to compromise the presidential election. He claimed that when one of the planes landed at the Katsina Airport, supporters of the CPC were chased away before the ‘consignment’ was off loaded. “One of such planes came earlier this (Saturday) morning to Katsina airport, and our people were driven away from the airport before the consignment was off loaded and driven straight to the Government House,” he said. The CPC presidential candidate however said he would not go to court to challenge the outcome of the election. He stressed, however, that if he was taken to court, his party would rise to defend him. In Kano, Shekarau said he would accept the outcome of the election so long as it was free, fair and credible. Shekarau, while speaking with newsmen after casting his vote, advised that the winner and losers should take the result as it is. “It is normal in any election where two or three people contested, a winner and a loser must emerge,” the Kano state governor said. At Bako Ward in Yola-South Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Ribadu said he will concede victory to any winner if the process is adjudged to be free and fair. The ACN candidate, who cast his ballot around 1.15pm, assured Nigerians that he would be the first contestant to congratulate the winner. “I will be the first person to congratulate the winner. I will be ready to join forces with him to move the country forward,” he added. The election which witnessed mass turn out of voters in most parts of the country was described by foreign observers as an improvement on the April 9 National Assembly election. One of the observer groups, the National Democratic Institute, led by a former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark said, “Things seem to be quite orderly.” By Our correspondents Courtesy Of: Punch