The Independent National Electoral Commission’s scheduled date for the presidential and National Assembly elections was held on Saturday.
In addition to 1,101 candidates vying for 109 Senate seats and 312 House of Representatives seats, there were 18 candidates running for the presidency, the nation’s highest position.
The presidential campaign had been reduced by pundits to a fight between four of the 18 contenders.
Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party are the four candidates.
At his Polling Unit 085, Ward 3, Alausa, Ikeja, Tinubu cast his ballot and won.
Obi and Atiku, who were far behind him with eight and one vote, respectively, got 33 votes to beat him.
Just 43 of the 324 registered voters showed up for registration and voting at Tinubu’s polling place.
But Tinubu, who was accompanied to the polling unit by his wife, Oluremi, and welcomed by a mammoth crowd, expressed confidence that he would win the presidential race, saying he worked or campaigned harder than his competitors.
“I am very confident. I worked hard for it. I traversed the country sometimes four times, attended town-hall meetings and various interest groups, I have attended to their request and I have worked harder than any other candidate in this country. I believe Nigeria will reward me, they will reward the hard work,” he said.
In Adamawa State, the PDP candidate, Atiku, also won his Polling Unit 012 Ajiya Ward in the Yola North Local Government Area of the state.
Atiku polled 282 out of the 350 total votes cast at the polling unit, to beat Tinubu, Obi and Kwankwaso, who got 57 votes, six votes and one vote, respectively.
The results declaration was received with chants of Sai Waziri by elated Atiku’s supporters.
Atiku, accompanied by his first wife, Titi, had earlier voted at about 9.08am, after wading through a throng of his supporters.
Decked in a white-green babariga with a cap to match, Atiku told journalists, “I am very optimistic of victory.”
He said the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was “a great step in addressing vote-buying across the country.”
On his part, Obi, in his Anambra home state, won his Polling Unit 019, Ward 2, in the Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.
He polled 236 votes to beat Atiku and Tinubu, who both got zero vote. However, Kwankwaso got two votes while the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Prof Peter Umeadi, got three votes.
Obi, who spoke to journalists shortly after casting his vote at about 11.48am, described the election as seamless and peaceful and expressed confidence that he would win.
He said, “With what I have seen here today here, the election is seamless and peaceful but I don’t know of any other place. I hope it would be same in all places.
“I have the capacity and mental ability to lead the country. The BVAS worked for me and I have voted. So far, at this unit, INEC performed well, but I cannot say generally because I have not been to other polling units to know.”
Describing the election as existential, Obi added, “I have both the physical and mental capacity to do the work. I am ready and prepared for it. People will feel it, it will be clear and measurable, everyone will feel it. So I can’t step down for anyone.”
Similarly, the NNPP candidate, Kwankwaso, won his Tandu 001 Polling Unit, Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State.
He scored 284 votes to beat Tinubu, who got 112 votes. Obi and Atiku both got zero vote.
Kwankwaso, who voted at about 11.45am, alongside his wife and children, said he was confident of victory, noting that he was impressed by the massive turnout of voters.
He said, “Although, I did not visit all the polling units, I noticed a massive turnout in the few I visited, indicating that I would emerge victorious in the presidential race. Here in my Kwankwaso Village, all the polling units are jam-packed with voters, indication I am very popular in my immediate constituency. I am grateful to Almighty God for the success of the elections and praying the Almighty God for the peaceful conclusion of the general elections.”
In Ondo State, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party , Adewole Adebayo, voted at Polling Unit 19, Ward 10, Barracks Road, Ondo town, Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Commenting on the process, Adebayo said, “So far, everything is working well and I just want to urge Nigerians to come out and vote.”
He, however, scored 19 votes to lose to APC’s Tinubu, who polled 52 votes. While PDP’s Atiku got 39 votes, LP’s Obi got 27 votes.
