Gist Arena

INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega says the repeated failure of the card reader to read President Jonathan's PVC at his polling unit in Otuoke, Bayelsa earlier today was a national embarrassment. He said this in an interview on NTA this night. More of what he said during the interview below

The results of the presidential election in Polling Unit 022 at the presidential villa, Abuja indicate that the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari defeated President Jonathan with about 93 votes. According to the result after the election of the presidential poll, APC scored 334 votes, while PDP got 241. The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) trailed behind with 45 votes, while Labour got 11 votes. The number of invalid votes is 16.

A boat carrying a director in the Ministry of  Chieftaincy affairs, Aremo Azeez Adewale, who is also the first son of Olu of Epe, Oba Sefiu Olatunji Adewale and and Muhiz Bello, a local government chairman, APC Epe candidate, capsized this afternoon as the men and others returned from a riverine area in Epe where they had gone to cast their votes. Mourners have thronged the Olu's palace in to sympathize with him. The prince has since been buried according to Muslim rites at his house in Isasi, Epe. Muhiz Bello was married with three children. Sad. May their souls rest in peace, amen.

I just received gruesome photos of dead men and a press statement from the APC in Rivers state. Looks like election in some areas in the state was very violent. Read statement below and see the pics after the cut.. *viewer discretion advised* Today’s presidential and National Assembly elections have turned out to be a big nightmare for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, with the members being killed, attacked and disenfranchised in various parts of the State.   “Armed militias working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have intensified their killing of APC members. Scores have already been killed and several others marked for elimination. This morning in Kpite Town, Tai Ward 2 and other areas of the State, five people were shot dead by PDP’s armed militia, and that was before accreditation commenced,” Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in a statement in Port Harcourt. Pictures of our killed members are attached. Lamenti...

Congrats to them. What a memorable day to get engaged!

Press statement from the PDP. Read below... The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the poor working of the Permanent Voter Card readers in Saturday's Presidential and National Assembly elections across the country could have been avoided if INEC had listened to sound advice from well meaning individuals and organizations including the PDP regarding their deployment without proper testing. National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Saturday said the last minute resort to manual accreditation by INEC hours into the exercise against its earlier guidelines clearly shows the failure of the system. "The unfortunate development is a vindication of our earlier position that as good as the idea of card readers is, it was too virgin to be successfully used in a general election without proper testing especially in an environment as ours that is not entirely digitally proficient”, it said. The party described as a huge national emba...

Boko Haram terrorists in the early hours of election-day attacked Buratai town in Biu local government area of Borno state and killed 25 persons. They left several hou​ses burnt, government officials and witnesses have said.  Those killed, according to witnesses from the town, were sleeping when the insurgents opened fire on them.  Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, confirmed the attack on Miringa.  A resident of Buratai, Mallam Garba, who told journalist that he had to flee to Biu town which is the local government headquarters, ​explained that the gunmen arrived the town at about 4 a.m. driving two vehicles and several motorcycles.  Mr. Garba  said “the insurgents killed 25 people, injured 5 before setting ablaze some houses and fled away”, he said. He added that “they had earlier sent messages around warning us not to encourage democracy by participating in the today’s election”.  Borno State Governor, Mr Sh...

The Gov. of Rivers State Chibuike Amaechi and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state are trading accusation following the irregularities recorded in some LGAs in Rivers state. Although, the INEC has said it will conduct fresh election, Today, in those areas that faced technical hitches. This is basically those units that had technology failure from the card reader machine. On the same development, all the elections in Opobo/Nkoro was been also postpone to today. Governor Chibuike Amaechi has decried poor conduct of the election in the state. He has accused the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dame Gecila Khan of trying to rig election in favour of his Bayelsa brother, President Goodluck Jonathan in Rivers. He accused the Khan of sending fake result sheets to some LGA in the state, adding that result sheets were not sent to some wards at all. Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Gecila Khan has debunk...

BARELY two weeks after one Chibuike Edeh, a 26-year-old worker of Protea Hotel-Benin City, died mysteriously in the custody of the police, a trigger happy police Inspector, identified as Obaro, allegedly shot another man, 25-year-old Smart Ogah, over N40 at a check point along llushi/Ubiaja Road in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, last Monday. In a petition addressed to the state Police Commissioner, Mr Samuel Adegbuyi, through his solicitor, Sheriff Okoh Esq., the victim, currently receiving treatment in an hospital, narrated how Obaro allegedly pumped bullets into his body after he handed over N40 to policemen at the check point. The Inspector was said to be angry that the money was too small. The victim, who narrated his ordeal to Sunday Vanguard at the hospital, said, “I was going to Uromi that evening when I met the police at the check point along llushi/Ubiaja Road. They stopped my motorcycle. They asked me for money and I gave them the...

Former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George lost his PU001 Evans Street, in Lagos Island, Lagos State to the All Progressives Congress, APC, by one vote. The outcome of the presidential polls declared by the Electoral Officer, showed that the PDP scored 108, while the APC pulled 109. Presidential polls PDP –  108 APC – 109

This is the result of 2 voting points out of the 3 voting point in Government Secondary school, Lugbe, Abuja 1st voting point: Reps: PDP 60, APC 39, APGA 37, LABOUR 3. Senate: APC 47, PDP 77, APGA 17, SDP 1, invalid 3. Presidential: APC 47, PDP 91, IDC 1, SDP 1, APGA 4. 2nd voting point: Reps: Labour 5, APC 34, APGA 23, PDP 58, Invalid 2. Senate: APC 32, APGA 10, PDP 82. Presidency: APC 33, PDP 90, Source: vanguard

This results where tweeted by a twitter handler @Nedunaija.

An unidentified soldier and two other persons are said to have been killed during the ongoing presidential and National Assembly elections in Rivers State. The soldier was said to have been killed in the Whimpy area of Abio/Akpor Local Government Area while on electoral duties in the early hours of the day. News of the soldiers death was broken by the Commander of the 2nd Brigade, Brig. Gen. Essien Essien, to Governor Rotimi Amaechi at Ubima, Ikwere Local Government Area. An unidentified young male voter, simply identified as Chris was also killed at Ward 3, Unit 2 in Eleme Local Government Area of the state. It was not known why Mr. Chris was killed but a source from the area, who pleaded not to be named because he is not empowered to speak on the matter, said a soldier killed the youth. In Kpite, Tai Local Government Area, a youth identified as Saturday Nkrine, was also shot near the home of the state Commissioner for Social Welfare, Joe Poroma.

PREMIUM TIMES has obtained a shocking confidential document detailing rigging plans to swing victory in favour of President Goodluck Jonathan. A PDP insider said the master-plan was produced for the party and the presidency by a discreet strategy committee empanelled for the purpose. PREMIUM TIMES is unable to determine the membership of the committee at this time. It is unclear whether the PDP is following these recommendations as the voting process goes underway across the country. When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, said he would not comment on a document he knew nothing about. He said, “I can’t answer for a document I have not seen. We are in the middle of election and we are on the field. Every other thing at this time is diversionary. “This is no time for accusation and counter accusation. All we want is for this election to be free, fair and credible. If anyone rigs this election, it would be obv...