Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) says inadequate security presence across polling units contributed to attacks recorded during the governorship and state houses of assembly elections. Idayat Hassan, CDD director, and Adele Jinadu, chairperson of CDD election analysis centre, said this at a media briefing in Abuja on Saturday. The organisation also expressed concern over voter suppression and intimidation, adding that it contributed to disruptions recorded during the elections. “A concern that has cut across multiple zones is the reduced presence of security officials,” the CDD said. “Observers across the states in the south-south, south-west, and north-west reported a much…

Independent National Election Commission (INEC) officials counted ballots after polls closed on Saturday in a delayed vote to pick new state governors, amid reports of scattered violence and voter intimidation, including in Lagos, where a tight race was expected. Polls began closing from 1330 GMT and counting immediately followed, but time was extended where voting started late. Final results are expected by Monday. In southeastern Imo state, a hotbed of separatist violence, security forces rescued 19 electoral officials who had been abducted by thugs, but election materials were lost, INEC said. "While the commission remains grateful to the security operatives,…

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload results of today’s governorship and House of Assembly elections to its INEC Result Viewing(IReV) immediately after counting of ballots at various polling units across Akwa Ibom State. The judge, Obiora Egwuatu, gave the judgement on a suit filed by the Labour Party (LP), its governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Uduakobong Udoh, and 13 House of Assembly candidates of the party in the 18 March elections in the state. The judge ordered that INEC must upload the results from the polling units in the…

Independent National Electoral Commission has given an insight into how polling unit results will be transmitted during the governorship elections across the states of the federation on Saturday (today). Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, while speaking on Arise TV on Friday, said the commission had learnt valuable lessons from the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections. “The law as of today prescribes a dual mode of either transmission of results or transfer of results,” Okoye said. He said when polls closed at the level of the various units, the Presiding Officer who superintended the polling unit…