Lagos
Nigeria muddled through a historic election yesterday despite all the logistical problems and voters' nightmares that attended the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Some of the problems in respect of logistics were said to be as a result of the late inclusion of the name of Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the ballots for the presidential poll. Fresh ballot papers were said to have been printed in South Africa and brough into the country on Thursday.
There were reports of late arrival of election materials in most states of the federation resulting in late take-off of the polls while the elections was generally characterised by voters aparthy.
The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, described the election as unacceptable while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Katsina State Governor Umaru Yar'Adua said it was fair.
Vice president Atiku Abubakar who also contested the election on the platform of the Action Congress (AC) said the election was a "sham".
A state-by-state reports by our correspondents are presented below:
Katsina
Late delivery of materials in most places in Katsina State yesterday, marred what would have otherwise been a peaceful election as there was a massive turnout of voters.
Just as it was in the gubernatorial elections in the state, electoral materials arrived late.
The situation was worse in Daura, the home town of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, where impatient voters took to the street in protest burning down houses and destroying property belonging to INEC officials and PDP supporters who were alleged to have connived to either delay the delivery of the materials or short changed voters from the emirate.
In Katsina and Funtua Emirates, delivery of electoral materials was far better than that of Daura.
Speaking about the conduct of the election in the state, the ANPP presidential candidate, Buhari ,and the state Governor Umaru Yar Adua of PDP however expressed divergent views.
While Buhari described the situation as disappointing and unacceptable, Yar Adua said it was fair even as he spoke of his expectation of victory at the polls.
According to Buhari whose supporters had since gone wild, ballot papers were brought in late to his Sarkin Yara ward at the family house of the late Sheik Jafar Adams who was shot in the mosque in Kano last week.
Although the INEC presiding officer, Danlami Abubakar, said materials were brought in at about 9.30 am, he however confirmed that as at 11.am only 500 ballot papers was delivered as against 917 registered voters for the presidential election.
Also it was alleged that out of 98, 500 registered voters, only 46, 000 was made available in the area. This information enraged the predominantly ANPP supporters who declared that there would be no vote in the emirate unless INEC completed the number of ballot papers. To them, it is undemocratic to deny any one his voting rights and to that effect, they matched en masse to demand their rights from the INEC office by the Police station.
The enraged supporters moved to burn the INEC office but were prevented by a combined team of soldiers and policemen. When that effort failed, they turned their anger on the sawmill owned by one Umar Mangal, a PDP chieftain, and razed it. Later, the crowd burnt down two other houses belonging to Mangal located in Daura too and accused him of insulting Buhari on the radio. The house of the former Speaker of the Katsina state assembly, Sani Saidu was also burnt in Daura. It took the personal intervention of Buhari who mounted a vehicle to appeal to the youths to eschew violence and cast their votes to calm frayed nerves in the area. The retired general cast his vote by 11.06 am.
In Zango Daura, a border town with Niger Republic, no voting took place. INEC office which is located a few poles from the porous border, was burnt as early as 10 am and consequently no voting was done there at all.
In Daura, a Toyota Corola car with registration number Kano AW 526 NSR thumb printed voters cards in favour of the PDP was arrested while a young boy called Kamal, was shot with an arrow by those suspected to be political thugs in Daura.
Buhari later told journalists in his home that the election was marred with rigging and that he has called on his party people to gather evidence because we are proceeding to the Tribunal immediately. On whether he will accept defeat and congratulate the winner if he is not the one, Buhari said "the basis of accepting and congratulating anybody is free and fair elections which is not there." Expatiating on why the election is not free and fair, Buhari said even when he attempted to talk to the INEC Commissioner in the state over partial delivery of electoral materials, he refused to speak with him. He also said reports reaching him from some states in the north especially Gombe, Taraba, Kaduna, Borno and Zamfara show cases of votes snatching and ballot box stuffing. When asked to assess the overall general election, the ANPP flag bearer said "what happened last Saturday and what is happening right now across the country proved us right that PDP, the government and INEC and some law enforcement agencies are not prepared to have free and fair elections but we will wait for the next 48 hours to know the condition in the country."
http://allafrica.com/stories/200704220016.html
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22-04-07, 06:55 PM
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