Nigeria Polls: Early Indications

Lagos, Nigeria:

Millions of Nigerians turned out to vote in the country’s National Assembly elections – the first of three sets of polls the country will hold in coming weeks.

In Lagos and other areas of the country, streets were devoid of traffic after the imposition of a restriction of movement order by the government which ended tonight, Saturday. The ban, which began last night, was to enable security agents to monitor “miscreants, thugs, and other criminal elements who may intend to use the cover of darkness to interrupt the smooth conduct of the elections”.

While indications of results are filtering through, full details will not be available until tomorrow – Sunday – morning. However, early indications are that the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) may have lost ground across the country.

The PDP currently holds more than three-quarters of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives and the 109 seats in the Senate. It was thought to face stiff challenges from the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the northwest of the country, and from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the southwest. In Ogun State, in the southwest of Nigeria, voters came out in the rain to vote – the Action Congress of Nigeria may be on its way to a clear victory in the former PDP strongholds.

Thus far, there have been states that have reported peaceful polling, alongside reports of violence and intimidation.

Voting was reported to be peaceful in Taraba State and Plateau State, and while there were unconfirmed reports of intimidation on Lagos Island, Lagos, the streets of neighbouring Victoria Island were peaceful. No violence was reported in the 44 councils of Kano State – where All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate Ibrahim Shekarau is governor – although an INEC official was reportedly arrested with electoral materials not intended for the region he was in.

However, late on Saturday, “sporadic shooting” was reported at INEC collation center in Abeokuta, with the INEC office believed to have been burned down. One person was killed and others injured in fighting between PDP and Labour Party supporters in Bayelsa State – the home state of President Jonathan –  where violence also broke out last week. A suspected bomber was reported to have died while trying to detonate a device in Maiduguri, Borno State.

“I am 25 and it’s the first time I have voted,” said 25-year-old Stephen Modi, from Victoria Island, Lagos.

“I didn’t vote in 2007 because there was no point. It was very secure, and easy to vote – free and fair. I voted ACN, but for president I will vote Jonathan and PDP.”

Kehinde Adewumi, 59, is from Surulere, Lagos, where incumbent governor Babatunde Fashola is likely to win gubernatorial elections with ease.

“I voted ACN. With PDP in Nigeria we can never move forward. They have had enough time, and we need change,” he said.

“These elections will show who will win the presidency.”

A more detailed analysis of results will follow.