Politics
#NigeriaDecides State Electoral Commissions Commence Vote Counting
By Chris Nomjov
State Independent Electoral Commission’s across the country have begun vote collation and counting, despite the fact, the election is yet to begin or be concluded in some parts of the country. It is expected that such results, would be sent to the national headquarters of INEC, for collation and announcement, tomorrow.
Reports suggest vote counting has began in Awka South and the 27 Local Government Areas in Imo State.
In the North, some states have begun collating and counting of votes cast at various polling units, yesterday. In Yobe State, areas such as Damaturu, Geidam and Potiskum have commenced collation of ballots, while 8 local governments in Kaduna State have started counting.
Collation is almost concluded in Ibadan North, North East, Lagelu and three other Local Government Areas in Oyo State. Vote counting is also ongoing at the Port Harcourt City Council and Obio Okpar in Rivers State.
The presidential and National Assembly elections commenced across Nigeria on Saturday, March 28 as rescheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Although many Nigerians turned out to vote, there were challenges of delay in the arrival of materials and issues with the operations of the card readers.
INEC has since adjusted the guidelines for the elections to address some of the challenges being faced during the accreditation process across the country. One of such moves was to permit the process of manual accreditation to allow the process, to be smooth and fast. The Commission undertook this and other necessary steps ensure a successful completion of the process even if voting and vote counting runs into Sunday.
In his assessment of the elections, yesterday, the INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, expressed gratitude to Nigerians for their peaceful conduct during the presidential elections and for exercising patience in the face of frustration. He commended the process and explained that, his team did their best to avoid, some regrettable errors.
