Imo gov poll inconclusive

former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos and now Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Ndufe-Alike, Ebonyi State, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe

The Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer for Imo State, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, has declared the 2015 governorship election in the state inconclusive.

He made the declaration before journalists and agents of the various political parties that were involved in the election after the collation of results at the office of INEC in Owerri, the state capital, on Sunday.

Ibidapo-Obe said the election was inconclusive because the total number of votes in the areas where the election did not take place was higher than the margin between the two leading candidates, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Governor Rochas Okorocha, and his Peoples Democratic Party’s counterpart, Emeka Ihedioha.

Protests about widespread irregularities and manipulation of results in some wards in the state, were also some of the reasons why the results of some polling units were cancelled.

In the result announced by the Returning Officer, Okorocha, polled 385,071 votes, while Ihedioha, got 306,142 votes.

Ibidapo-Obe said supplementary election would soon hold in the affected areas.

My ministers must declare their assets –Buhari

Former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, says those seeking political appointments in his administration will be forced to declare their assets before taking office and before leaving.

Buhari said this during an interview with Sahara TV on Sunday.

He said this would encourage accountability and reduce corruption.

He said, “All those that were governors, ministers, permanent secretaries, head of foreign staff and all those with political appointments will have to declare their assets on the assumption of their appointment and definitely with the courts. And once they leave they have to re-declare their assets.”

Buhari, who insisted that last-minute defectors would not be given appointments in his government, promised not to interfere with the judiciary in the fight against corruption but would strengthen the nation’s justice system.

He stated that his administration would not “become embroiled in investigation of every ministry, and then the government will not have time to move forward.”

The President-elect slammed the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for the depletion of the Excess Crude Account.

Okonjo-Iweala had said a significant portion of the billions of dollars drained from ECA over the past two years was distributed to governors instead of being saved for a rainy day

However, Buhari said the finance minister’s excuse was not acceptable.

“I’m afraid the finance minister has no cause to complain because the governors cannot force the central government to act outside the constitution,” he said.

On the contentious issue of oil block ownership and an equitable distribution of the country’s wealth, he suggested that partisan politics in Nigeria was the cause of the uneven distribution in the oil sector.

Buhari said that he wanted to formalise the oil sector in the country.

He said that the “proliferation of oil fields to people who don’t even know what it is, is one of the messes partisan politics has brought

Chibok girls in Sambisa forest —Shettima

Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, in an interactive session with journalists spoke on diverse issues including the Boko Haram insurgency, abduction of Chibok schoolgirls and his future plans. KAYODE IDOWU was there

The last four years of your administration have been quite eventful especially in the area of security. How have you been coping?

Honestly how I am coping is a secondary issue; what is more important is how the over six million people of Borno State are coping. These are people, who even in the best of time were poor and now further pauperised by the Boko Haram insurgency. Parents were killed, their sons and daughters slaughtered by some demented monsters who were trying to impose their alien ideologies on the beleaguered people of Borno, now turned to beggars; rendered homeless; orphaned, and widowed. My heart goes out to them. I do not care about my feelings, security or comfort; I am more concerned about the welfare of the victims directly affected and how we can get them back on their feet. We have 1,000 years of recorded history – I believe that there is a silver lining in the horizon. I believe that we shall very soon get out of our problems especially with the successes recorded in the on-going counter insurgency operations. Yes, we have won the first phase of the war; but the battle is still on. The insurgents have melted into the hinterland. Two days ago, they killed 25 people in Kwajaffa. They have refocused their energy now towards the periphery of Sambisa, from there they have been launching attacks on the Askira Uba Local Government Area. They killed quite a number of people in Chul village; they have attacked several other communities along the corridors. But by the grace of God we shall get out of it.

What other efforts are being made to get your state and the North-East geo-political zone out of the clutches of insurgents?

We have always made support for security agencies our number one priority. We have inspired our sons to support the military. We trained, equipped and employed them and they are working. We have created a strong political will. We coordinate community involvement in fighting insurgency and we provide modest leadership. This was why when there were strong fears that Maiduguri was to be attacked in December last year, I flew into Maiduguri from the United Kingdom where I went officially in order to be with the people of Borno State who had nowhere to run to and this was against security advice. I was ready to go through whatever it was with them whether to die or survive. I had mentally bid farewell to my children when I decided to come into Maiduguri that day because the fears were so intense that Boko Haram insurgents were coming in through Konduga. I didn’t want to be remembered as a governor that abandoned his people to their fate. I do not want to be remembered as a governor that stayed in the UK while Maiduguri was taken by insurgents and people killed. It is better to die for something than to live for stupidity. Luckily, the military and the youth volunteers worked very hard, we gave them all the support, citizens prayed ceaselessly and with Allah’s help, the insurgents were repelled from entering Maiduguri which is the most populated place here. I am proud to be part of the success story and of being responsible for coordinating counter insurgency operations. But the most important thing now is that hope springs from our hearts. I am by nature an eternal optimist. My candid belief is that tough times do not last forever but tough people do. I believe that we have a people that have the resilience and the indomitable will to chart a peaceful course for our people. But I want to assure you that the government and the people of Borno will continue to partner with the security agencies in bringing everlasting peace to this part of the world. I cannot but commend security agencies, the army in particular for their unflinching commitment towards restoring peace in our fatherland. The Chinese have a word for danger, the word for crisis that means danger and opportunity. This means that despite the challenges we face it also provides us with an opportunity for social reengineering; to reposition our state to meet the challenges of the future.

It will soon be a year that over 200 schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok. Are there other efforts being made other than what we have heard in the past towards rescuing them?

The Chibok girls’ issue is really very sad; no responsible parent would be happy with what happened to those poor girls. I am a father of two little girls. Any time I look into the eyes of any of my daughters, I fight to hold back tears because I remember that girls like them, born and so dearly loved by parents, are missing and worst of all, in the hands of people that love to kill. It is one issue that has caused so much heartache not only for the parents of the girls, or the people of Borno, but the people of Nigeria as a whole. It is so sad. Last year, when I read an account of one of the parents of the missing girls, I couldn’t sleep all night long because he said he would prefer to pick up the corpse of his daughter and bury her rather than have her in the hands of some misguided vandals who do not have limits to what they can do. Imagine a father preferring to see his daughter’s corpse? Look at how the leader of the insurgents said he wanted to sell the girls into slavery, that some were married off etc. It is disturbing because their capabilities for committing heinous crimes are beyond human comprehension. But like I said earlier, hope springs eternally from the heart of men. Only an insane parent will give up on a missing child. We believe quite passionately and realistically that these poor girls will be found. We have been working hard with some international agencies towards their rehabilitation, trauma management and how they can be made to pick up the pieces of their lives once we get them. We believe that at the risk of compromising their safety, the hopeful assessment of most security agencies, is that probably they may be in the Sambissa forest which is very large. Hitherto we heard they were being held around the Gwoza and Damboa axis. But for now Damboa, especially the township has been recovered and is relatively safe. Gwoza too has been recaptured. Thus, our hopeful assessment is that probably the girls are in the Sambisa forest and we hope that they would be found in good shape – the most important thing is to get them alive; and alive we shall get them.

How right is the assertion that the initial attitude of the government to the news of the girls’ kidnap may have been responsible for their long stay in captivity?

This is correct. Vital hours were lost soon after the attack. Hours that might have paid off if the search for the girls was vigorously done within that time frame. For about two or three days they were at the bank of a river and some of the commanders were said to have gone into the hinterlands of Sambisa to get directives from their masters. That could have been a golden opportunity for us to recover the girls. But scepticism and sheer indifference really compounded our problems. Some were even compounding theories that it was the Borno State government that abducted the girls and kept them in the Government House. I found it quite amusing; why should we abduct our daughters for whatever political gains and keep them in the Government House? But there is no need to cry over spilt milk. It took some time for the Federal Government to invite us over the issue. Even when I was invited, I was really delighted that at last some solutions would be proffered as to how to rescue these girls. But it was amazing that the whole crux of the meeting was geared towards scapegoating. The Commissioner of Education, the principal of the school and others were being railroaded to make phantom confessions which were alien to our knowledge. But what is important is what we can do to bring back these girls. We have succeeded in rehabilitating the 56 that escaped; the state government has committed N100 million for their education in some of the best schools in the country so that they can realise their full potential. These girls, like many of us here, are from the humblest of background; some are the first generation girls to be educated in their families. Therefore, we will do whatever it takes to see that they are rescued; and once they are recovered we will spend whatever resources to ensure that they are rehabilitated.

The Boko Haram insurgency has virtually brought the education sector to its kneel. Now that peace is returning, how do you intend to getting this sector back on its feet?

Yes, it is absolutely true we have challenges; but we have a robust framework. Once peace is established, we are going to pick up the pieces of our lives and restore education to its enviable status. It pains me so much because most of us are from the humblest of backgrounds; and it is because most of us have access to public schools that is why we are who we are. Posterity will judge us harshly if we allow the public schools to collapse. With all sense of modesty, what we spent on education in the last three and half years were not spent in the last three governments that came before ours. We have renovated public schools more than the ones renovated by the governments of Mala Kachalla and Ali Sheriff fused together. We have sent our teachers to India to learn the modern Kayan technology and using projectors to teach in secondary schools. We have increased funds in feeding of our students from N20 million to N100 million every month. Today, students get very nutritious meals. We have set up a quality assurance team to monitor standards in our public schools. We have invested about $3 million on the Kayan technology alone – all geared towards addressing the issue of education. But I want to assure you that with the re-emerging peace we are going to address our problems soon. ?

How far has the Federal Government Safe-School-Initiative gone in your state?

I am sorry to say that the project like most projects of the Federal Government here in Borno is more of hype than action. We have been attending several meetings to that effect but till now there is nothing on ground to show for it. We believe on our part that things are in the pipeline and will start yielding dividends very soon.

Lessons from 2012 gov polls — Akeredolu

Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu

The governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria during the 2012 election in Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO about his experience

What prompted you to contest for the Ondo State governorship election in 2012?

One major factor that was responsible for my decision to run was the way and manner in which the government of Ondo State was being run. I was more than convinced that the approach of the incumbent governor who is still in government today to governance was wasteful, and there was a need for re-direction, to have a people-oriented government that can focus on the problems of the people.

How would you describe the campaign experience?

It was a wonderful one. I had always been in politics. I campaigned across the country for the office of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association. It’s always interesting to campaign. The experience was worth the while. And to me, it was a great investment. The time spent was worth it. Also, the money spent was worth every penny. Therefore, it was a wonderful experience.

Do you see yourself contesting for governorship in the near future?

Ondo State is getting deeper into more of a financial mess because of the wasteful nature of the current government. Hence, one may still say that if one has the opportunity, one may still run, and at least salvage and put an end to this decadence in government. No doubt, since there has not been anything positive, no change, and the people yearn for good governance, I will still put myself forward to offer them the best of my abilities.

Why did you choose the Action Congress of Nigeria platform to run in 2012?

I couldn’t have been in any other party. I’m a progressive and the ACN was the only progressive party; the All Progressives Congress now is the progressive party. So, I remain in the APC. I can’t be in any other party. Luckily, we won the federal (presidential) election. Even if we didn’t win, I wouldn’t defect to any other party. I will always remain a progressive.

Did you have a political godfather when you contested the governorship election?

No doubt, there are people who would support one’s bid to become governor, people who believe in you. Some people believed in me and gave all their support. But they never came out as political godfathers. They believed in my cause and supported me. I don’t believe in political, godfatherism, but there are leaders of one’s party that one must continue to have respect for, and a number of them, if not all of them, supported me when I ran for the office of the governor.

How much did you spend for your campaigns?

That I will keep to myself. I am not going to disclose that.

Did you fund your campaign single-handedly or you had sponsors?

Nobody can singlehandedly fund any campaign, it is not possible. Even if you have the money, people would still want to contribute to your campaign. A lot of people contributed to my campaign, the funds that came were more than what I had myself. There were people who contributed. The party also was the major financier of the campaign.

What did you think was/were the reason (s) for your loss in the governorship election and did you think the votes counted?

I don’t think the votes were justified. I went to the tribunal and the matter got to the Supreme Court. I made my case. I do not believe that an election which has a faulty voters’ register can be a valid election. It was   found out that there were injections into the voters register of up to 150,000 names; and if the court found that out, the basic thing was to look at the register. And if the register was faulty, then the election itself was faulty. Therefore, I believe the election was rigged and I stand by that.

With the introduction of the Permanent Voter Cards, do you think the country’s electoral process is better now?

The electoral process is expected to be better if the PVC would work. But I have my doubts about the efficacy of the PVC. I do not believe that the PVC is effective yet. Those of us whose fingers could not be authenticated (during the presidential election), were allowed to vote using the manual register, and this was as directed by (INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru) Jega himself. Hence, it was still not strictly voting by PVC. Manual registers were used.

In the light of the Ekiti saga, some people believe that an impeachment process in the country today is more to settle political scores than to address fundamental issues. What is your take?

My honest view is this, I don’t believe impeachment proceedings are meant to settle political scores because there would be allegations, and the panel that sits must find out that the person has committed those offences in breach of the constitution. If, for instance, it is true that he (Governor Ayo Fayose) invaded the House of Assembly and prevented the operation of one of the constitutional arms of government, is that an impeachable offence? If it is, then it is not settling political scores. The point is that a number of these allegations of financial impropriety and constitutional breaches can be raised by one’s political opponents, but the person caused it. As long as the person committed that offence, that person is the cause. Therefore, I don’t believe impeachment is meant to settle political scores; the offence itself was a risk.

During your campaign, you talked about creating 30,000 jobs if elected. An estimated 10,000 curriculum vitaes were sent to your campaign office afterwards. How can governors truly create jobs for the citizens of their states?

It is quite possible. We must go back to the basics. What I mean by that is this: we cannot totally neglect our industries and farms and expect that there would be jobs. Agriculture is in many facets; there is poultry, fishing, and so on. I can assure you that agro-allied industries and agriculture can provide more than enough jobs for our youths. Not only that, industrial aquifers would also enhance a number of our industries that would now provide employment for our youths. There are many things that can be done because employment is very key. We cannot continue to have an army of unemployed youths and expect that we would not have crises at the end of the day. I believe that government at the federal and state levels must set up employment generating outfits so that this would be addressed immediately.

As President of the Nigerian Bar Association, you were vocal about Nigerians protecting their votes and about other national and political issues. How do you think the judiciary can strengthen the country’s democracy, especially in the light of the Ekiti saga?

The judiciary must remain impartial. The laws are there. As you said, as the President of the bar, we spoke to power then in an honest way. Also, my campaign for the presidency of the bar was propelled by my campaign mantra, which was that we would prosecute our convictions with courage. That was what I stood for. And then we have our beliefs and convictions as the bar association about how the judiciary should be run, how the government should be run. And we were courageous about it. I believe sincerely that the judiciary must be courageous and remain impartial. We undertook so many interventions because we believed our convictions.

The election petition we have on the Ekiti elections is at the Supreme Court now, and the major point raised by the council is that a governor that was impeached should not have the right to contest or return to office within 10 years. This can help the situation in Ekiti State. I am not asking for judgment in favour of my client, but with all respect, I stand by that point. The man was impeached and that impeachment stands for all purposes. The present impeachment proceedings should be allowed to be carried through. The House of Assembly should be unfettered. If there are little offences he (Fayose) has also now committed, set up a panel and if found guilty, the gentleman has to leave. That should be the process. I believe that the police and the judiciary have a role to play. They must do it as impartial arbiters.

El-Rufai blames voter apathy on PDP threat

In Kaduna State, there was a low turnout of voters in Saturday governorship and state House of Assembly elections compared to the impressive turnout recorded during the presidential and National Assembly elections two weeks ago.

Areas where the turnout was particularly low were Television Road, Sabon-Tasha and parts of Barnawa. Aside Barnawa, the other areas are dominated by Christians and are strongholds of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

Our correspondent observed many of the residents relaxing in front of their houses without bothering to go out for accreditation.

Whereas in areas such as Ungwan Sarki, Ungwan Shanu, Ungwan Rimi, Kawo, Sabon Gari and Tudun Wada, the turnout of voters was better compared to the southern part of the state.

The All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in the state, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, attributed the poor turnout to an alleged threat by the PDP to cause chaos in the state.

Meanwhile, Governor Mukhtar Yero shortly after accreditation in Zaria told his supporters and the entire people of the state to accept the outcome of the elections.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after casting his vote, el-Rufai said the electorates were afraid to show up at their polling units because of the alleged threat.

The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, who was accredited at about 9.55am, also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for the improvement on the Presidential and National Assembly elections, noting that accreditation commenced on Saturday.

El-Rufai expressed satisfaction with the use of the card readers, which he described as effective.

On the possible outcome of the elections, el-Rufai said the APC had a wide acceptance in the state, adding that the people’s will would prevail at the end of the day.

Yero, on his part, commended the peaceful conduct of the governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the state.

He called on the people of Kaduna State to shun violence and remain calm throughout the voting process.

Yero, who spoke shortly after casting his vote at Kaura Ward in Zaria, described the peaceful electioneering process in the state as a demonstration of the democratic maturity of the people.

“We are happy that majority of our people have embraced democracy as a preferred system of governance and we shall continue to encourage them through responsible leadership,” he said.

The governor was accredited at 11:24am and subsequently voted at 2:54pm at the Kwankira Polling unit, Kaura Ward, Zaria Local Government Area.

Similarly, Vice President Namadi Sambo, who arrived his polling unit for accreditation at around 11am alongside his wife, Hajia Amina Sambo, commended the process.

…Police arrest suspects for snatching ballot boxes

Cases of ballot box snatching were recorded on Saturday shortly after voting had been completed in the governorship and state House of Assembly elections in Bauchi State.

It was gathered that the Police had arrested many people in connection with ballot box snatching and other electoral offences.

After officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission announced the results of the elections at the polling unit at Bauchi Club, some hoodlums forcefully made away with the ballot boxes.

Similar incidents were reported in Azare, headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area of the state, and in Darazo Local Government Area.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Command, Haruna Mohammed, who confirmed the reports while addressing journalists at the command’s headquarters in Bauchi, stated that the Police had made so many arrests in connection with the incidents.

“We are compiling the various incidents across the state. We made some arrests and recovered some exhibits. In fact, we have arrested so many. As soon as we compile all the details, we are going to inform the public,” he said.

The Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed K. Mohammed, had at a forum organised by INEC, said the Police had uncovered plans by some disgruntled politicians to disrupt the polls.

The CP then warned those behind the plan to desist as the Police would not spare anyone disrupting the polls and the peace of the state.

Meanwhile, it was observed that security was tightened within the Bauchi metropolis as many roadblocks were mounted in the state capital by security agents.

I will congratulate winner if I lose – Okorocha

Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha

Governor Rochas Okorocha has said that if defeated in Saturday’s governorship election in Imo State, he will congratulate whoever emerges the winner.

He stated this while speaking with journalists after casting his vote at Ogboko Ward 2 in Ideato South Local Government Area of the state.

“I will congratulate whoever wins the election. Why not? But, first, let us do things properly,” Okorocha said.

The governor, who claimed that the card reader failed to capture his fingerprints during the accreditation process, commended the state branch of the Independent National Electoral Commission for the smooth conduct of the election.

He said, “So far, the election has been quite peaceful, especially in Ogboko Ward 2 where I voted. As we would expect, this is a violence-free area in the history of Imo State politics. There has never been any record of violence here. But this cannot be said about places that are notorious for election violence, such as Mbutu in Aboh-Mbaise LGA.

“I have heard about political thugs hired by some politicians to cause mayhem in some polling units. The same thing is going on at places like Ohaji-Egbema, Oguta, Ezinihite and Ngo-Okpala, to mention a few. We must condemn election violence in all ramifications.”

The governor called for a judicial panel to look into the causes of election crises in some parts of the state.

He also commended the security agencies for their role in the elections.

“I learnt that some people in fake military and police uniforms, as well as a man found with AK47 rifles, were arrested by security men. If such arrests had happened during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections, things would have been much better.”

Seven killed, houses, cars burnt in Ebonyi

Not less than seven persons, including a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ishielu Local Government Area, Mr. Mike Nworie, were killed in chain of violence that trailed the governorship and state House of Assembly elections in Ebonyi State on Saturday.

Nworie, who was also a former chairman of Inyaba Development Centre, was hacked down by political thugs in Ishielu council, while six other young men were killed in Ezza South Local Government Area of the state.

“The former PDP chairman was killed while he was receiving a call bordering on the elections. His killers were obviously trailing him and when the right opportunity struck, they hacked him with multiple numbers of weapons and ensured he was dead before leaving the scene,” an eyewitness told our correspondent.

The eyewitness, who is a pastor of one of the known Pentecostal churches, begged not to be mentioned.

In Okposi town, Ohaozara Local Government Area, political thugs allegedly working for the ruling party and led by a perceived gangster, called ‘Chopper’, attacked the Labour Party and All Progressives Congress agents at different polling units.

The political thugs who were said to have ridden with a team of ‘soldiers’ in a Hillux van, marked with bold ‘Army’ inscription, allegedly bundled five polling unit agents at PU 007, Mgbom Okposi; PU 007, Achara ward; and the polling unit at Enechi Akuma Primary School, Okposi Okwu ward.

“Voters in those polling units, scampered away from the polling units leaving the area deserted and the exercise suspended,” a concerned citizen stated in a text message to our correspondent.

In Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area, police officers and officials of the State Security Service were said to have been detained in a private facility on the orders of a high-ranking official of the Federal Government from the area.

In Ohaukwu and Ikwo councils, some hoodlums allegedly snatched money meant for polling agents while several persons were left with broken limbs at Ndiagara.

“I was reliably informed of the money snatching incident,” a former governor of the state, Dr. Sam Egwu, said.

Ikwo Local Government Area, where Governor Martin Elechi hails from, was a no-go area as heavy shooting commenced as early as 8am, while there were several cases of snatching of election materials.

Abdulsalami, Mark, Tambuwal hail INEC, voters

Former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar

The   Independent National Electoral Commission has been given the thumbs up for the conduct of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in the country on Saturday.

Former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Umaru Al-Makura (Nasarawa), Abdul’aziz Yari (Zamfara), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), commended the electoral body for improving on its performance in the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections. They also praised voters for exhibiting good conduct at polling centres.

Senate President David Mark;   House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal; Minority Senate Leader George Akume; and Minister of Special Duties Kabiru Tanimu;   who also hailed the conduct of the elections, backed the use of the card readers.

Abdulsalami, who spoke to reporters at the Hilltop polling unit in Minna, Niger State, said, “I am happy to see the entire electoral process going on smoother and faster.”

Lamido told the News Agency of Nigeria after casting his ballot   at Bamaina A polling unit in Birninkudu Local Government, that there was an improvement on the   process, especially the card readers.

Al-Makura, who is the All Progressives Congress candidate for the Nasarawa governorship poll, told NAN after casting his vote in Lafia that INEC should be commended over the exercise.

The governor said, “This election is the best, peaceful and orderly; one needs to laud INEC for its effort.

“INEC has corrected the mistakes that occurred in the last election and this made the accreditation very smooth.”

Yari said at Rumfar Malam Isah polling unit in Talata-Mafara that he received reports that the election went peacefully in other parts of the state.

The APC candidate for Zamfara governorship poll also praised security for ensuring peace at polling units.

Gaidam applauded INEC for the early arrival of electoral materials at the 17 local governments in Yobe.

“I have observed that INEC has improved on the use of the card readers as accreditation is faster than experienced during the Presidential and National Assembly elections,’’ the governor told NAN after casting his vote in Bukarti.

Dankwambo, who is the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for the Gombe governorship poll, said he was satisfied with the turnout and the conduct of the election.

Wamakko commended INEC for the success of the polls and praised the turnout.

Kwankwaso after casting his vote at Kwankwaso in Madobi Local Government, Kano praised voters for coming out in large numbers to cast their ballots.

“This is a clear indication that democracy has come to stay in the country,” he said.

Mark, after voting in Otukpo, Benue State, commended the security agencies for the safety of voters, electoral materials and personnel.

He, however, expressed regret that the card readers still posed challenges to the accreditation process and called on INEC to improve on its performance.

“The exercise is peaceful, transparent and credible so far. We only hope that this smooth process is not truncated by enemies of democracy,’’ Akume said after voting in Wannune, Tarka Local Government, Benue.

Tambuwal, who is the APC candidate for the Sokoto governorship poll, said he was happy with the conduct of the elections in the state.

Tanimu, who voted at the Nasarawa1polling unit, said the election had increased the credibility of INEC and called for sustenance of the system in subsequent elections.