TOPE FAYEHUN, in this report, assess the winners and losers of the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections held across the country.
The much anticipated presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday, February 23, 2019 have come and gone. No doubt about the fact that winners and losers have emerged by now.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari emerged the winner of last Saturday’s presidential election.
The INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who was the chief collation officer for the poll, at the end of the collation exercise in Abuja on Wednesday morning, said President Buhari polled a total of 15,191,847 to defeat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and 71 others. According to him, Atiku garnered 11,262,978 votes to place second in the keenly contested poll.
Giving details of the results, the INEC boss said, out of a total of 82,344,107 registered voters, 29,364,209 were accredited for the poll. He added that there were a total of 27,324, 583 valid votes, while 1, 289, 607 votes were voided.
However, with the outcome of the presidential poll, the votes of other fringe candidates, about 70 of them made no impact on the whole exercise. Prior to this development, there were concerns that the elections will be marred by violence.
The just-concluded presidential poll drew lots of attention from within and outside the country. So many projections and analyses were made about the all-important poll as a result of its uniqueness and the importance attached to its success.
However, the many successes and challenges recorded in the electioneering process have no doubt provided a lesson for future elections in Nigeria and other countries around the world.
Apart from that, moves by some politicians to either retain their political seats or move to higher seats particularly in the Senate, suffered a setback at the just concluded elections as only a few of them made it while the majority of them lost their bids.
Before the 2007 elections, the idea of governors running to the Senate after governing their states for eight years looked unattractive but since the 2007 elections, former governors have found a new home in the National Assembly, particular the Senate chamber.
THE BIG WINNERS:
President Muhammadu Buhari
Despite alleged gang-up of some ex-generals and numerous endorsements from some socio-political organizations in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari was able to scaled through and win for a second term in office.
In 2015, President Buhari won with 15,424,921 votes or 53.95 per cent of the total valid votes cast, but in 2019, he won the presidential election polling 15,191,847 votes to defeat his closest rival, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the PDP, who scored 11,262,978 votes.
In his acceptance speech after he was declared the winner, President Buhari said the new administration will intensify its efforts on security, restructuring the economy and fighting corruption. According to him, “We have laid down the foundation and we are committed to seeing matters to the end. We will strive to strengthen our unity and inclusiveness so that no section or group will feel left behind or left out.”
However, some analysts posited that the duo of President Buhari and Atiku have three things in common: They are both from the North, both of Fulani extraction, and are both septuagenarians, but noted that he (Buhari) is still much loved on the streets of the northern part of the country more than Atiku.
Apart from his popularity, some Nigerians have seen that within this period of his being in office as the president of the country, issues of corruption have reduced drastically. According to some analysts, the loopholes in the government spendings have been blocked and things are being done orderly and accurately compared to the past.
Because of his stand on fighting against corruption, the president enjoys a feral, cult following in the country and there’s nothing to suggest that has changed despite the outcome of the election. Besides, the president continues to enjoy instant name recognition out there. No other politician comes close.
Pundits also noted that prior to the election, everywhere Buhari visited, both in the North and other regions, surging crowds always chanting ‘Sai Baba’ and delving into a frenzy each time he pus that legendary fist up. Of course, crowds during state visits don’t necessarily translate to votes, they are a barometer or harbinger of some sort.
Political observers averred that for all his faults, President Muhammadu Buhari remains a huge factor in the politics of the North because he was seen as one of them.
As it stands today, most of the elected National Assembly members also got elected because of the name of President Buhari in the just concluded elections.
Governor Samuel Ortom
Although his election is still some days ahead, he is among the winners of the last weekend’s elections in the country. With the level of politicking against him since he joined the PDP, his estranged political godfather, who is also the Senator representing the Benue North-West senatorial district in the Senate, George Akume, had threatened to remove and stop his re-election bid.
But instead of removing the governor, Akume, former governor of the state lost his bid to return to the National Assembly for the fourth time.
While saying that Akume deserve the humiliation, Governor Samuel Ortom described the former governor’s defeat as retirement from politics. He accused Akume of playing god in Benue politics. Akume was defeated by a serving House of Representatives member representing Buruku constituency, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Yisa Orker Jev, in six out of seven local government areas of the senatoria zone.
Ortom said, “I have never told you something and it never comes to pass. I told you I will retire Senator Akume in politics and it has come to pass today. I speak from the inspiration of God. People who play god should know that their end would be disastrous.”
“People who play god should know that their ends would be disastrous. I have read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and I know that anyone including me, who want to share the glory of God can never survive. God is real, God is in heaven and earth. Psalm 24 said the earth belongs to God and its fullness thereof.
“So when people begin to play God, they are taking the position of God, their end would be disastrous because you cannot share the glory of God,” Ortom added.
Instead of Akume removing Ortom, the governor was able to reduce the influence and political strength of his estranged political godfather thereby stopping him from achieving his aim of returning to the Red Chamber.
Senator Dino Melaye
The senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye, is also among the big winners in the just concluded elections. Melaye was declared a winner with 85,395 votes to defeat Senator Smart Adeyemi of the APC who scored 66,901 votes.
Melaye was formerly of the PDP, under which he was elected into the House of Representatives in 2007. He later abandoned the party and was elected as Senator in 2015 under the platform of the APC.
Although Melaye supported Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state in 2015, the duo soon fell out with each other over the state’s staff verification exercise and Melaye returned to the PDP.
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Analysts said his victory in the last election was a miracle against the backdrop of the political disagreement between him and the state governor.
With his latest victory and having survived an ochestrated recall exercise in April 2018, it became clear that Melaye is a grassroot politician and he is loved by his constituents.
Lai Mohammed
Minister of information, Lai Mohammed did the impossible in Kwara.He demystified Senator Bukola Saraki and has now taken over as the strong man of Kwara politics.
Saraki held sway as the godfather of Kwara politics having inherited that title from his father. Saraki determines the guber candidate and all members of the National Assembly in the state.
However,he was outfoxed by Lai Mohammed as Saraki not only lost his seat,his party,the PDP lost the other two senatorial seat in the state.
THE BIG LOSERS:
Senate President Bukola Saraki
The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki also lost his bid for reelection into the Senate from Kwara Central on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Saraki lost to Dr. Oloriegbe of the All Progressives Congress (APC ).
Oloriegbe polled a total of 123,808 votes to defeat the Senate President who scored 68,994 votes in the four local governments of Kwara Central Senatorial District.
The result of the election was announced by the Senatorial District Returning Officer, Prof. Olatunbosun Owoyomi from the University of Ilorin. In Asa local government, Dr. Oloriegbe of the APC polled a total of 15,932 votes to defeat Saraki that scored 11,252 votes.
The APC candidate also got 30, 014 votes in Ilorin East local government to 14,654 polled by his PDP rival in the Senatorial race. In Ilorin West, a stronghold of Sen. Saraki, Oloriegbe polled 51,531 votes to defeat the Senate president with 30,075 votes.
The situation was the same in Ilorin South where the APC senatorial candidate floored the Senate President with 26,331 votes as against 13, 031 votes garnered by Saraki.
However, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki said despite the reported inadequacies of the elections in Kwara State, he was wishing the candidates who emerged victorious the best of luck.
He explained that while the election was generally peaceful, there were inadequacies like the card readers not being used in over 70 per cent of the polling units while there were multiple voting, over-voting and other discrepancies that were reported by agents of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the state. He added that the state chapter of his party will take a position on the right response to these inadequacies.
“However, whatever the final outcome of the election, I wish the candidates that have emerged all the best in their attempts to serve our people. It is my prayers that the good people of Kwara State will always have the best from any government both at state and federal levels.
“As a product of a family and a political structure that is, from its foundation, devoted to the service and development of our state and its people, it is my wish that our people will always have a good deal at all times.
“The new development will even provide the people the opportunity to compare and contrast. After all, the people who have emerged from last Saturday’s election are not my enemies. They are fellow Kwarans,” he said.
Senator George Akume,
George Akume, former Governor of Benue State, lost his bid to return to the Senate.
Akume, a former Minority Leader of the Senate from June 2011 to June 2015, lost the seat to Orker Jev of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the senatorial election in the state
Announcing the result, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof Nicodemus Ochani, said Akume of the APC polled 115,422 while Jev of PDP got 157,726 votes to win the contest.
He was elected to the Senate in 2007 on the platform of the PDP but dumped the then ruling party for the APC legacy party.
Senator Godswill Akpabio
Akpabio, a senator from Akwa Ibom North-West District , lost his bid to return to the Senate for a second term. Akpabio was defeated by Chris Ekpenyong.
There was suspense and tension in the state after INEC suspended the release of the result of the election in which both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP claimed victory.
According to the result announced by the returning officer, Peter Oban, a professor, Akpabio, a former governor of the state, scored 83,158 votes, while Mr Ekpenyong scored 118,215 votes.
But Akpabio, who spoke on The Verdict, a live programme of Channels Television, vowed to challenge the collation of the results, adding that he could not lose the election.
The senator said, “I won. It’s a temporary setback. That is why there are processes. For instance, if you feel that you were cheated or there was wrong collation, you have recourse to the courts. I did not fail; I can’t fail.
“I believe strongly that there must have been some wrong collation somewhere. Those things will be corrected. We have processes in the election. It’s from one stage; we have to do registration, vote and collate.
“As far as there is a mistake anywhere, you go to the court and get your mandate. My mandate is somewhere waiting for me. My people know that I can’t fail elections.”
Governor Abiola Ajimobi
Governor of Oyo State and Oyo South Senatorial District candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abiola Ajimobi, lost his bid to return to the Senate.
In the results of the National Assembly elections for the Senatorial seat as announced by INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Wole Akinsola, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr Kola Balogun won with an overall total votes of 105,720, while Ajimobi polled 92,218 votes.
The African Democratic Congress(ADC) candidate currently the Senator representing the district, Senator Adesoji Akanbi scored total votes of 49,437.
Oyo South Senatorial District, comprises Ibarapa East, Ibarapa North, Ibarapa Central, Ido, Ibadan North West, Ibadan North East, Ibadan North, Ibadan South West and Ibadan South East.
The governor ,however, described the loss of the Oyo South senatorial ticket seat as unfortunate but noted that no sacrifice was too much for a leader to make. He enjoined all APC members to gird their loins for the March 9 governorship election, stressing that battle was not over yet.
Ajimobi emphasised that the loss of Oyo South senatorial seat would not deter him from his firm resolve and that of the APC to work hard for the party’s victory in the governorship election.
He said, “The results of the Oyo South Senatorial District election have been released by INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) indicating that I lost to the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) candidate.
“I hereby accept the result as announced. Although there were a number of grievous infractions and established electoral malpractices, I have decided to let go in the interest of peace. I, therefore, congratulate the declared winner, Hon Kola Balogun and our APC Senators-elect, Abdulfatai Buhari and Teslim Folarin.
“If I lose the ticket and the party was able to gain, then it is nothing to feel sad about. APC has done well but we can always do better. If we won two out of the three Senatorial seats and we picked nine out of 14 federal constituency seats, then we should congratulate ourselves.”
