Skip to main content

Advertisement




Nigeria election 2019: Counting under way

Nigeria election 2019: Counting under way

 

   

Image copyrightREUTERSTwo men listen to the radio as Nigerians await the results of the Presidential election, in Kano, Nigeria February 24, 2019.
Image captionNigerians are anxious to find out the name of their new president
Ballots are being counted in Nigeria's closely fought general election, although voting was extended to a second day on Sunday in some areas.
Due to logistical problems and some cases of violence, polls have been put back to a later date in other areas.
President Muhammadu Buhari, 76, is seeking a second term. His main challenger is former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, 72.
The election had been due last week but was delayed at the last minute.
Whoever wins in Africa's most populous nation and largest economy will have to address power shortages, corruption, security threats, and an economic slowdown.
President Buhari cast his ballot in his hometown of Daura in the northern state of Katsina. Asked if he would congratulate his rival if he lost, he said: "I will congratulate myself.
Mr Abubakar, a business tycoon, also said he was confident of victory.
Results are not expected until Monday at the earliest.

Was the election peaceful?

Most of the country was calm but there were reports of attacks by the Boko Haram Islamist militant group in the north, and voter intimidation and attempts to steal ballot boxes from some polling stations, especially in the southern states of Rivers, Lagos and Anambra.
A coalition of civil society groups reports that a total of 16 people were killed around the country - this is less than in previous elections.
Two people were arrested in the Surulere district of the commercial capital, Lagos, after voters were attacked by a group of young men "brandishing weapons: cutlasses, axes and stakes", one witness told the BBC.
"What they were saying was that if you were not [voting for the ruling party] APC, you'll be attacked," Ralph Onodike, who sustained an arm injury, told the BBC.
Destroyed ballot boxes in the Isolo district of the commercial capital, Lagos.
Image captionThese ballot boxes were destroyed in the Isolo district of Lagos
The Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) said that voting had not been possible in about 8,500 of the 120,000 polling stations around the country, reports the AFP news agency.
But Inec official Festus Okoye said the commission was "generally satisfied with the process and the procedures for the conduct of these present elections". He said 68% of polling units had opened by 10:00, according to Reuters news agency.
The initial vote was rescheduled in a dramatic press conference in the early hours of Saturday 16 February, just five hours before polls were due to have opened.
Voters were also choosing members of the House of Representatives and Senate.

How does the election work?

The candidate with the most votes is declared the winner in the first round, as long as that person gains at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states.
There are 73 registered candidates in the presidential election, but campaigning has been dominated by the two political giants and the established party machines behind them.
Image copyrightAFPBallot paper for Nigerian presidential election 2019
Image captionThe ballot paper has to be extra long in order to fit on all 73 presidential candidates
The president's All Progressives Congress (APC) has promised to take the country to the "next level", arguing that in his first four-year term Mr Buhari has done a lot of "foundational work" that may not be immediately obvious.
Mr Abubakar and his People's Democratic Party have pledged "to get Nigeria working again", saying that the president has wasted the last four years.
Both men are from the mainly Muslim north of the country. While they are in their 70s, more than half of Nigeria's 84 million registered voters are under 35.

What are the main issues?

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer but corruption and a failure to invest the proceeds from the industry have hampered development in the country.
It slipped into a recession in 2016 and a slow recovery has meant that not enough jobs have been created to cope with the large number of young people coming into the employment market. Currently nearly a quarter of the working age population is unemployed.
Presentational grey line
Election in numbers
  • 73 million have voters' cards
  • 51% of the electorate under the age of 35
  • 73 registered presidential candidates
  • 120,000 polling stations
Presentational grey line
Mr Buhari has quelled a militant Islamist rebellion in the north-east of the country, but Boko Haram remains active. There has also been an upsurge in violence in the country's Middle Belt as traditional herders and more settled farmers have clashed.
Until 1999 Nigeria was governed by either short-lived civilian administrations or military rulers. But this year marks 20 years since the return of democracy.
Mr Buhari was elected in 2015 - the first time an opposition candidate had defeated an incumbent to become president.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

TWIFO HEMANG LOWER DENKYIRA DCE NOMINEE CONFIRMED.

TWIFO HEMANG LOWER DENKYIRA DCE  nominee Confirmed.  President Nana Addo Dankwa -Akufo Addo nominee as the  District Chief Executive (DCE) for Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira District in the Central Region, Mr. Kennedy Sarpong was on  Thursday, June 13,2019. Confirmed by the Assembly Members with 78 percent endorsement out of the total votes cast at an  emergency meeting held by the Assembly. The new DCE, Hon. Kennedy Sarpong, garnered 19  votes of the 24 member Assembly representing 78 percent in favor,with 5 votes  against. This has secured his mandate as the head of the District Assembly of the stipulated term of office. Prior to his confirmation,the DCE was rejected by the Assembly Members on the first meeting. Mr Sarpong expressed his profound gratitude to the members of the Assembly and assured his readiness to work with them all. According to him, development of the district is what's dear to his heart and therefore all hands must be...

AKYEM ABODOM GETS NEW ANKOBIA HENE

AKYEM ABODOM GETS NEW ANKOBIA HENE Jubilant mood grips residents of Akyem Ankobia amidst drumming and dancing over the selection of a new Ankobiahene for the area on Monday. Residents of the town including drivers poured out on the streets in their numbers amidst tweeting of car horns to express their joy. The Ankobia chieftancy seat has been vacant since the inception of the town. Kingmakers of the Traditional Council has described the selection of Ankobiahene as a significant  step towards rapid development of the area and the welfare of the residents. The newly selected chief known in private life as Mr Samuel kojo Banfo would be outdoored to the public after undergoing some traditional rites on Saturday 9th March, 2019 at the Akyem Abodom durbar grounds.

Financial Clearance to Employ Nurses

Financial Clearance to Employ Nurses Contrary to the claims by some nurses that there hasn’t been any recruitment like the president said in the State of the Nations Address, the Ministry of health in a statement said it had received clearance from the Ministry of Finance to recruit 14,254 nurse assistants who passed their exams in 2016 from Government institutions. The statement said the ministry “has received financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance to employ 14,254 nurse assistants (clinical and preventive) from government nursing training institutions and the names have been verified by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This clearance took effect from 1st February, 2019.” The ministry of health has also issued the number of nurse assistants (clinical and preventive) for allocation to each agency for posting to their respective health facilities. The statement also said that the ministry has received financial clearance to commence the recruitment process for...