From Meluwa Kelvin (Asaba), Abubakar Sadiq Mohd (Zaria) & Victor Edozie (Port Harcourt)
Governorship candidates and their main supporters have expressed divergent views over the conduct of Saturday’s elections.
Wike, Amaechi disagree over candidates
In Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike, who is supporting PDP’s Sim Fubara, described the election as better compared to the February 25 presidential election.
The governor’s conviction is predicated on the fact that, unlike the delay he experienced with the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the previous election, only about two minutes were spent to accredit him to vote.
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Governor Wike spoke shortly after casting his vote at polling unit 7 in ward 9 of Rumuepirikom community in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
But a former governor of Rivers State and the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accused Wike of influencing the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu.
Amaechi, who supports the APC governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, gave his response in his hometown in Ubima after casting his vote, saying, “The All Progressives Congress (APC), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and others are contesting the election not only against the PDP but against INEC and the police.”
Sanwo-Olu, Rhodes-Vivour speak on Lagos tension
After casting his vote on Lagos Island, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu called for peaceful elections.
Expressing satisfaction over the turnout of voters, Sanwo-Olu said the people of the state had the right to vote for their choices freely.
He said, “I think it is a time for us to see and understand that this process is not meant to be one of violence.”
On his part, the Labour Party governorship candidate, Bode Rhodes-Vivour, complained about the late arrival of materials in some polling units in Alimosho and Iba and criticised INEC’s failure to pay some of its ad hoc staff.
Also, the PDP governorship candidate for Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, who voted in Osubi Secondary School, Okpe Local Government Area polling unit, expressed happiness with what he called the smooth conduct of the governorship election.
The Kaduna PDP governorship candidate, Isa Ashiru, after casting his vote in his Kudan hometown, pledged to accept the outcome of the election.
He said INEC had done well by commencing the poll early, as well as distributing the materials adequately.
The PDP urged the electoral body to sustain the tempo to the end of the election.
Ashiru also urged other contestants to learn to accept results in good faith as there must be winners and losers.
The gubernatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano, Abba Kabiru Yusuf, called for the immediate arrest of the chairman of the APC, Prince Abdullahi Abbas for allegedly perpetrating electoral violence. He made the call after voting at polling unit 033.
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