By BASHIR ADEFAKA, Situation Room, ABIRHIRE THOMAS, Asaba, OBANYAGBON BENEDICT, Abuja, IBRAHIM KANOMA, Gusau, OUR REPORTER, Sokoto
The DEFENDER Newspaper (online), reporting from its situation room, can now tell that all is set for Nigerians to elect their new President today Saturday February 25, 2023.
It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had promised to give to Nigeria a legacy of freest, fairest and most credible election through we all eligible voters will vote for candidates of their choice across the parties.
To make this happen, he has frankly told all contestants including those of his own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to work hard in their campaign as his administration will not allow a situation where Nigerians will not be respected in their quest to exercise their franchise.
He said his administration has adequately briefed the military and security agencies who, according to him, have identified all hot spots and flash points across the country and therefore will ensure that no one dares the power of the state in trying to disturb the peace of the process or snatch ballot boxes except that it could be the last lawful exchange such person will have.
Knowing full well that election day is festival of democracy where people are constitutional guaranteed the freedom to make their voice loudly heard, President Buhari has hugely invested in today’s process and has made himself clear that while candidates of his own political party must work hard to win by themselves, he is not afraid to ensure that today’s election is conducted in all fairness and voters have the best of guaranteed security and freedom to vote.
So far, our reporters from across the country have given reports of peaceful beginning as everywhere is calm, security agents and military sighted, for instance, in areas like Kano moving round as it is lawfully allowed to ensure that no cases of thuggery or criminals have the freedom of space and time to disrupt the process.
In Yola, Adamawa State as at 7.30 this morning, it is a good starting as all roads are calm but with Nigerians resident in the state apparently set to over to the various polling units and cast their votes once the centres are open. Sam situation report also came from Kano, Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Delta, Zamfara and Ondo State so far.
It is most likely that today’s election will be quite different from that of the past as it shows in the neutrality of the conducting President, Muhammadu Buhari.
In the Nigeria’s most complex state of Lagos, unlike the previous elections, most of the flashpoints so far including Oshodi, Isolo, Lagos Island which are known for their notorious behaviour during voting exercise have been calm as roads in the areas deserted meaning that voters in their areas have been expressing confidence in the process and that they are now ready to go out and vote as nobody or thug will out gun on their head not to vote for candidate of their choice.
In today’s election, 87.2 million Nigerians who collected their Personal Voter’s Card (PVCs) out of over 93 million registered voters, will go to polls today to elect their new President from among the four major presidential candidates.
The main contenders in terms of political parties are the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PD), the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is presidential candidate of the PDP, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu s flying the flag of the ruling APC, Dr. Peter Obi is the presidential candidate of the LP and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso is the NNPP’s standard bearer.
Other presidential candidates, according to INEC’s final list, include:
Imumolen Christopher – Accord Party (AP); Al-Mustapha Hamza – Action Alliance (AA); Sowore Omoyele – African Action Congress (AAC); Kachikwu Dumebi – African Democratic Congress (ADC); Sani Yabagi Yusuf – Action Democratic Party (ADP); Umeadi Peter Nnanna – All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Ojei Princess Chichi – Allied People’s Movement (APM); Nnamdi Charles Osita – Action Peoples Party (APP); Adenuga Sunday Oluwafemi – Boot Party (BP); Osakwe Felix Johnson – National Rescue Movement (NRM).
Others are: Abiola Latifu Kolawole – Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); Adebayo Adewole Ebenezer – Social Democratic Party (SDP); Ado-Ibrahim Abdumalik – Young Progressives Party (YPP); and Nwanyanwu Daniel Daberechukwu – Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
In his nationwide broadcast, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is serving a complete eight-year term under the APC, admonished the citizens to go out there and vote for their very choice of candidate.
He also said that his administration’s new monetary policy had also contributed immensely to the minimisation of the influence of money in politics.
“This is a positive departure from the past and represents a bold legacy step by this administration, towards laying a strong foundation for free and fair elections,” he said, assuring that every vote will count.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been commended even in sections of the media for his being a neutral party despite that his party his standing in the election.
