PRESIDENTIAL POLL 56.4M NIGERIANS DECIDE JONATHAN, BUHARI’S FATE

Today, March 28, 2015, Nigerians of voting age who have obtained their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs are expected to file out and elect a president that would pilot the affairs of the country for the next four years.
The presidential election, which was earlier scheduled to hold on February 14, this year, was rescheduled by the nation’s apex electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, due to security and other challenges.
Today, Presidential and National Assembly elections will be conducted with incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan as the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP while former military head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari flies the flag for the All Progressives Congress, APC.
For the National Assembly, there are 109 senatorial seats to be contested as well as 360 seats in the case of the House of Representatives.
However, April 11 has been reserved for governorship and states assembly elections scheduled to take place in 36 states of the federation.
From all indications, only two political parties, PDP and APC presidential flag bearers are serious contenders in the race to Aso Villa even though there are about 10 other political parties that have also fielded candidates for the presidential seat.
Already, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, has allayed the fears of further postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections stressing that the commission was not only ready for it but has concluded all arrangements to ensure a successful, free and fair polls.
He disclosed that, as at the close of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs collection, 56,350,776 Nigerians who have collected their PVCs were eligible to vote in the March 28 and April 11 elections.
The number released by INEC represents 81.97 per cent out of 68,833,476 people who were cleared to vote in the 2015 general elections.
According to statistics contained in a press statement by Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Kayode Idowu, Jigawa State has the highest number of PVCs collected with 95.98 per cent, followed by Zamfara and Bauchi States with 95.97 per cent and 95.76per cent respectively while Ogun has the lowest with 57.57 per cent.
It would be recalled that INEC had thrice extended the deadline for collection of PVCs across the country following criticism of poor distribution. INEC initially shifted PVCs distribution deadline from January 31, 2015 to February 8, 2015 and then March 22, 2015.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Suleiman Abba has reiterated that voters must go home after casting their ballots, warning that the security officers will not hesitate to arrest those loitering around the polling units during the period of the elections.
Abba further explained that this caution is in accordance with the Electoral Act (as amended) when he told a national stakeholders’ summit on the 2015 general elections, in Abuja last Tuesday that section 129(1) of Electoral Act has stipulated about nine different offences which any voter standing by after voting could be guilty of and consequently be arrested and prosecuted by the police.
The IGP listed these offences to include, campaigning for votes at the polling units, soliciting for votes for a candidate at the polling units, persuading any voter not to vote for a candidate at the polling units, discouraging any voter from voting at all around the polling units, holding any weapon capable of scaring voters away from polling units.
Others, according to him are: chanting the slogan of any political party around the polling units, wearing clothes or other insignia bearing the symbol or colours of a political party into polling units, driving a vehicle bearing the logo or colours of any political party into the polling units, as well as loitering around the polling units for no lawful reason after voting or being refused to vote.
IGP Abba said, “I advise a voter to cast his vote and go home, by the provision of our law there are those assigned to protect the polling unit. I continue to advise that you leave after voting. The law says that you should stay three hundred meters away from the polling stations. I will do everything necessary to ensure the credibility and protection of the elections. Please, respect the restriction of movement. Also, accept the outcome of the election, if there is any objection, go to the tribunal, and don’t take extra judicial protests as it would not be allowed.
“The military would not be deployed at the polling stations, but police and other enforcement agencies are constitutionally empowered to maintain peace at the polling stations. Military would be invited when the police cannot maintain peace at the polling stations. They would support the civil authority when the need arises. I advise that you cast your votes and go. It is advisory and I so advise. On loitering after casting your votes, that is unlawful purpose,” he added.
Speaking further, the IGP explained that there would be three policemen at each of the 150,000 polling stations across the country.
Today’s Presidential and National Assembly elections would be the fifth in the series of elections since Nigeria rejoined the comity of democratic nations in 1999.