By Mohammad Ibrahim

Kaduna (Nigeria) – Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has congratulated President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari on his victory at the presidential election.

This was contained in a statement issued to journalists in Kaduna Northwest Nigeria by NLCs factional leader, Comrade Joe Ajaero.

The group also applauded Nigerians for coming out en-masse to cast their votes in the presidential elections.

“On behalf of the affiliates and members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)

“we congratulate Nigeria and Nigerians on the successful conduct of the 2015 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“We congratulate the newly elected President, General Muhammed Buhari.

“Our congratulation goes to President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat to General Buhari in this historic free and fair election.

“We salute him for this unprecedented statesmanship.

“‎We salute Nigerians for coming out en-masse to cast their votes.

In particular, we commend them for their patience, perseverance and resilience, as millions endured the inclement weather and made sacrifices to ensure hitch free, credible and transparent elections.

“Importantly, we salute our members – working men and women for being part of these historical elections as both voters and volunteer observers as directed by the Central working Committee (CWC) earlier this month.

“We are very pleased with the feedbacks that we have received so far from our members across the country about the conduct of the elections.

“The feedbacks commendably indicate great democratic enthusiasm on the part of all Nigerians, orderly conducts, patience and the unprecedented cooperation with INEC Officials to see through the various innovations by INEC in the bid to ensure hitch free and credible elections.

‎”The general consensus from the feedbacks was that the election was peaceful and credible.

” We however got feedbacks about pockets of incidences and violence leading to avoidable deaths.

“Even more worrisome were some security breaches, hijack of electoral materials, malfunctioning card readers, poor and unpatriotic conducts of some INEC ad-hoc staff.

“These are teething democratic challenges in competitive elections.

“We hope the Country will overcome all these challenges as we sustain and deepen the gains of the March 28th Presidential and National Assembly elections in the coming governorship and states assembly elections.

“We must commend INEC under the able leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega for the vision, courage, determination and the patriotic zeal with which, the 2015 general elections has proceeded so far,” the statement reads.

By Longtong Ibrahim

KADUNA (Nigeria) – Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress has won the 2015 presidential election in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria, after collation of the state results were concluded on Monday.

The State Collating Officer, Prof. Ja’afar Makau Kaura read the result in Kaduna at the end of collating results of the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

According to him, of the total 1,650,201 votes casted, the APC candidate polled 1,127,760 votes to defeat President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) who has 484,085 votes.

The votes of other parties are: AA 218, AD 271, ACPN 424, ADC 546, APA 1611, CPP 824, Hope 105, Kowa 176, NCP 754, UDP 79, PPN 549 and UPP 78.

He added that total registered voters was 3, 361,793 while total number of accredidated voters was 1,746,031, and number of rejected votes was 23,719.

Kaura further pointed out that elections was cancelled in 38 polling units in seven Local Government Areas of the State; Soba (3), Sanga (13), Kudan (3), Igabi (6), Zongon Kataf (4) Kagarko (7), and Kachia (2).

By Katso Ngargbu
LAFIA (Nigeria) Since the emergence of the former Information Minister, Labaran Maku as the governorship candidate of APGA in Nasarawa State, the political landscape was completely altered and might never be the same again. Hitherto, the main political parties in Nasarawa State were the ruling APC and PDP.

But after the fiasco in Nasarawa during the PDP governorship primaries where Mr. Maku was schemed out of the race to pave the way for the highly unpopular Yusuf Agabi as the party’s flag bearer, the PDP, which used to dominate the politics of the state began to crumble.

Mr. Maku, who led the PDP in Nasarawa State for 4 years dumped the party for APGA to pursue his governorship ambition. The defection of Maku from the PDP took away the soul of the party; what remains now is an empty shell, who’s underbelly was exposed with the recent campaign tours of the party that could best be described as a funeral procession.

Because Maku invested a lot in the PDP, he took away with him a chunk of the party’s chieftains and supporters to APGA. Some of those who remained in the PDP are only there in the physical but their spirits are with Maku. The party recently lent credence to this assertion when it wielded the big stick and suspended over 50 party chieftains including founding members for hobnobbing secretly with Maku.

Maku’s popularity coupled with the fact that the Al-Makura’s APC failed woefully in Nasarawa State, many people in the APC saw APGA as the new bribe in the politics of the state. As such, party chieftains and supporters in both APC and PDP queued behind Maku in APGA. The remaining political parties that rejected the idea of merging to form the APC dissolved into APGA in Nasarawa State.

At the moment, APGA is the biggest and the most popular party in Nasarawa with supporters cutting across the broad spectrum of society including youths, women and the elderly, artisans, civil servants, academicians, etc.

Maku also enjoyed an inter-ethnic and religious solidarity across Nasarawa State.

Though Mr. Maku is leading the APGA, he remains the most trusted, loyal and dedicated campaigner of President Jonathan in Nasarawa State. Moreso, APGA had adopted Dr. Jonathan as its presidential candidate.

At the presidential polls on March 28, 2015, Maku deployed the entire APGA structures and supporters in Nasarawa State to elect President Jonathan and that single gesture gave the President the lead against his main challenger, Gen. Buhari.

This development was borne out of the diligent grass roots mobilisation and campaigns embarked upon by Mr. Maku for the president.

Maku launched a mass movement to elect the President because he was able to convince the people that Nasarawa never had it so good like under the Jonathan Administration. He buttressed his campaign for the president by mentioning the numerous projects sited in Nasarawa State.

They include the establishment of a Federal University, the construction of the historic 2.1 kilometer Loko-Oweto Bridge across River Benue, construction Lafia-Awe-Tunga road, Lafia-Obi Road, construction of a Federal Secretariat and Central Bank Complex in Lafia, provision of 50 percent counterpart funds for the construction of primary schools, construction of a High Court Complex, reactivation of Doma Dam for large-scale mechanized farming, employment of over 5,000 people under SURE-P among others.

With these massive campaigns devoid of propaganda and hate, Mr. Maku swayed and influenced broad majority of Nasarawa people to vote for President Jonathan.

In Lafia zone for instance, the alliance of the Eggon, Alago, Migili, Tiv voted President Jonathan overwhelmingly in the election because of Maku’s campaigns for the president among the ethnic groups.

The Tivs of Keana and Awe Local Government Areas who voted massively for President Jonathan are also mainly Maku’s supporters.

In Akwanga zone, the entire Eggon community which is a stronghold of APGA, voted for President Jonathan. Majority of the people of Wamba and Karu who voted for the president are all rooting for APGA because of the success of the Maku’s grass roots campaign.

Kokona local government, which used to be a traditional home of the PDP is another bastion of APGA. The people of Kokona turned out en masse for Jonathan during the elections.

Nasarawa and Toto local governments, which responded to Mr. Maku and voted massively for Jonathan will surely vote APGA in the governorship election.

We are confident that in Nasarawa State President Goodluck Jonathan will win with a wide margin because of the ground work of Mr. Maku.

But don’t be mistaken, All those communities and groups of people who voted for the president under PDP will coalesce and vote for APGA in the governorship polls.

This, they will do cheerfully and wholeheartedly because of the unblemished track record of Mr. Maku as an astute public servant, who rose to the zenith of his political career based on performance, experience, excellence, diligence and above all, the fear of God.
Dr. Katso Ngargbu is the Publicity secretary, Maku 2015 campaign network

Longtong Ibrahim

KADUNA (Nigeria) – Elections in Kaduna State has been conducted peacefully in a hitch-free atmosphere with eligible voters turning out en mass to exercise their civic duties.

Though elections did not commence as early as the Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier announced but voters patiently waited for arrivals of the election officials at their various polling units.

Accreditation started around 11 a.m in most of the Wards in Chikun Local Government Area of the State while Voting Commenced at about 3-4 p.m and closes late in the evenings; likewise in Kaduna South, Kaduna North and some L.G.As in the state.

Complaints of card reader failures were recorded in most parts of the State, where it took a voter over two to three minutes to be accredited. There were also many cases where the card readers were not able to identify finger prints.

A visit to some Polling Units in Narayi, Nassarawa, Sabo Tasha in Chikun LGA, Barnawa, Television, Kakuri in Kaduna South L.G.A areas, a large number of voters turned out on time to wait for the electoral officials and materials to arrive.

The State Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu alongside head of other security agencies in Kaduna State went round the polling units across the State capital to monitor the exercise.

The Commissioner expressed satisfaction with the orderly manner and peaceful conduct of the election and appealed to voters to remain calm and law abiding even after the election.

Meanwhile, in Jama’a L.G.A, a Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Hon Samaila Maigoro Falke has expressed dismay over non-conduct of election in 13 polling units.

Falke said the non- conduct of elections in the 13 polling units was a deliberate and internal sabotage by INEC to disenfranchise people; adding that ballot papers where not distributed.

He alleged that the areas affected are APC strong holes. “Its is a deliberate attempt to denied them their right,” he said.

The polling units are: Ma’aji Baba, Calabar street, Iya Marafa, Sarkin Daji, Audu Azan, Abdulmajeed, Na’abin, Bakin Kogi, Ung/Sheu, Musa Danyaro, Wada Banana,Sule Barau and Ungwan Yahaya.

The electoral officer in charge of Jema’a Local Government Area, Mrs Dina Yakubu, in a remark said the non-conduct was due to late arrival and missing of some material; and further gave an assurance of conducting the election as soon as materials arrive from Kaduna.

By Mohammad Ibrahim

KADUNA ( Nigeria) – All Progressive Congress, APC Governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria, Malam Nasir El- Rufai has called on INEC to investigate factors that led to delay in accrediting voters for the 2015 election.

Speaking to journalists, El- Rufa’i expressed satisfaction with the turnout and exercise.

He counted himself luckier than President Jonathan, but called on INEC to investigate the delay in arrival of materials in most polling unit.

” I consider myself luckier than president Jonathan because my finger print was captured without difficulty,” he said.

” We called on INEC to investigate the delay in the arrival of material. I was accredited around exactly 10: 30 am which is supposed to be 8: am,” he said.

Bayelsa (Nigeria) – The card reader used in Nigeria’s general election has three times failed to read the permanent voter card of President Goodluck Jonathan in the ongoing Country’s general election.

Mr. Jonathan’s was finally accredited at polling unit 13 in his hometown Otuoke in Bayelsa State, South-South Nigeria using the Independent National Electoral Commission’s incident register, after three card readers failed to capture his biometrics.

But reports from Daura, Katsina State, Northwest Nigeria home of opposition All Progressive Congress, APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, said Buhari and his wife, Aisha were accredited without any hitch.

In an interview with journalists, the President called on Nigerians to be patient with INEC as other alternatives have been made available should the card reader fail to accredit them, like in his case.

“I want to use the opportunity to congratulate Nigerians as we vote in a president. There may be issues, because this is the first time we are using this technology,” Jonathan said told reporters on ground.

“I had issues but it’s been sorted, I can’t be a ghost voter (laughs), I’m not worried. There may be a delay but I encourage Nigerians to conduct a credible and peaceful elections. If I can endure, I plead with all Nigerians,” he said.

Accreditation was billed to commence at 8 am and end at 1pm. Voting starts at 1pm to end at 5pm.

In most polling units across the country, accreditation did not start until around 10:30 am, or 11am.

Nigeria’s President had yesterday in a broadcast encouraged citizens to go out and vote, saying no sacrifice is too much for Nigeria.

By INEC provision, if the card reader fails to capture a voter’s biometrics, the commission’s staff at the polling units were expected to resort to manual accreditation.