Citizens explain voting patternsTHE Peoples Democratic Partys (PDP) senator-elect for Jigawa North West Senatorial District, Dr. Danladi Sankara, has decried an alleged religious undertone in the presidential election, warning that it was a very bad omen for the nations democracy.Sankara, who is also the Jonathan/Sambo returning agent for Jigawa State in the election, indicated that there was connivance among the opposition parties in Jigawa, whereby they indoctrinated the people to vote for Muslims.The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) candidate, Gen. Muhammodu Buhari (rtd), had won the presidential election in Jigawa State, polling 665, 994 votes to beat his closest rival, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, President Goodluck Ebelle Jonathan, who polled 419, 252 votes.Announcing the result at the INEC headquarters in Dutse on Sunday, the presidential election collating officer for the state, Prof. Jibrila D. Amin, the vice chancellor of the Federal University of Dutse, indicated that total votes cast were 1,214,774, adding that the total valid votes were 1,140,766.According to him, Nigeria is governed by the constitution and not by any of the holy books because party politics goes beyond religion and tribal consideration.Meanwhile, as the results of the presidential elections continued trickling in, a major departure from the past is that party affiliation is gradually losing its influence on the outcome of elections.Voters, who spoke to The Guardian at the weekend, confirmed this development, stressing that what Nigeria needed was a change from the past and individuals that would facilitate such irrespective of the political party they belong.According to Mr. Asuquo Dandy, a Lagos-based architect: This election will show that Lagos has an enlightened electorate. Today, like many others here whom you can see with their umbrellas, I am voting umbrella, because there is no need for a broom today with the hot weather. By next week, everywhere would have been dirty, so we will need brooms then and vote appropriately.Corroborating Asuquo, a lady next to him on the voting queue at Mojidi Street, Ileja, also stated: Its true o! There is no need for broom today. Thats why you can see most people holding umbrellas. I am here today because I want to vote umbrella. Last week, I did not come because I was angry about the postponement of the election. Today, the anger has died down and so, I am voting umbrella.A director with Global Observers for Civil Rights Initiative, Mrs. Esther Franklin, described the elections as very credible, even as she confirmed that Nigerians really saw the 2011 elections as an opportunity to change the countrys state of affairs.INEC really did a good job to ensure a credible election. And from what I observed in all the places my team and I have visited, things were generally okay. Even in one or two places where INEC officials were late, like a place in Ogba, Ikeja, for instance, the moment we notified INEC, the situation was immediately addressed. So, this is a very good election.
Click here to read full news..
