By Foluso Adelaja, Editor
The much anticipated 2023 General Elections in Nigeria kicked off today, Saturday with Presidential and National Assembly elections, as Nigerians trooped out in large numbers to exercise their civic rights.
Though largely peaceful and hugely successful but it is not totally devoid of skirmishes and rancour that diminished from the overall glory of the election exercise.
some polling units at Okota, Oshodi and Elegushi areas of Lagos were fingered as such areas where these violence marred the election process.
Though it is not yet clear what the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would do about these places where election processes were disrupted but the chief umpire, the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu has assured that his agency is closely watching the situation.
Prof Yakubu said this today, while briefing the media after voting exercises were concluded.
The INEC chair assured that the polling points where violence occurred have been noted, adding that these places and other areas where elections took place but with one hitch or the other would receive attention.
“In Lagos, we have been closely following the situations in Okota, Mafoluku Oshodi and Elegushi. We have been able to underline the situation in a number of places including Ikate where voting is ongoing. So, we’ll keep our eyes on the processes in the other areas of the nation,” he said.
Some of these identified polling units experienced skirmishes resulting from political thugs invading the places to either chase voters away or snatch ballot boxes and BVAS.
The number of registered voters released by the electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the 2023 general elections is 93,468,008. While 87,209,007 people have collected their Permanent Voter’s Cards, PVCs, 6,259,229 PVCs remain uncollected.
Already, the Police have deployed 310,973 personnel across the over 176,000 polling units in the country for the elections.
Specifically, there are 176,846 polling units but elections would only take place in 176,606 as 240 of the total figure have no registered voters according to the INEC.
There are 18 candidates contesting the presidential election to succeed President Buhari. Among them are Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC; Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP; and Rabiu Kwakwanso of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP.
Others include Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party, SDP; Dumebi Kaachikwu of the African Democratic Congress, ADC; Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP; and Omoyele Sowere of the African Action Congress, AAC.
Also in the race are Felix Osakwe, National Rescue Movement NRM; Prof Peter Umeadi, All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA; Dan Nwanyanwu, Zenith Labour Party, ZLP; Oluwafemi Adenuga, Boot Party, BP; Christopher Imumolen, Accord; Hamza Al-Mustapha, Action Alliance, AA; Sani Yabagi Yusuf, African Democratic Party, ADP; Malik Ibrahim Ado, Young Progressive Party, YPP; and Osita Nnadi, Action People’s Party, APP.
The only female candidate jostling for the highest political seat is Chichi Ojei of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM.
4,223 National Assembly candidates are contesting in today’s general elections. However, the murder of Labour Party’s Enugu East Senatorial candidate, Oyibo Chukwu by unknown gunmen while returning from a campaign outing on Thursday, February, 23 has reduced the number of candidates to 4,222 with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponing the senatorial poll in the district to allow for the Labour Party present another candidate.
Nigerians will elect 469 lawmakers out of the over 4,000 candidates vying. The election will take place in 176,846 Polling Units across 109 Senatorial Districts and 360 Federal Constituencies across the 36 States and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Out of the total number of 1,101 Senatorial Candidates, 1,008 are males and 92 females; while out of the total number of 3,122 House of Representatives Candidates, 2,832 are males while 288 are females.
