Nigeria Decides 2019: Violence, Gunshots as Nigerians Cast Their Votes

• Nigeria Decides 2019: Violence, Gunshots as Nigerians Cast Their Votes

As Nigerians stepped out in numbers to cast their votes in the long-awaited Presidential and National Assembly Elections, a state of anxiety fills the air.

Millions of electorates waited across the country to exercise their right to decide who will be the next president of Africa’s largest economy.

While  multiple gunshots and explosions were heard in Borno and some parts of Yobe state, President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife Aisha Buhari peacefully cast their votes in Kofa Baru, Sarkin Yara ‘A’ ward in Daura, Katsina State at exactly 8:10 a.m GMT+1.

The main contender of President Buhari, the Presidential flag bearer of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar alongside his wife also cast his vote at his polling unit of Ajiya in Yola North Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

Investors King gathered that some places in Kano, Kaduna, Asaba, Lagos and Abia experienced a delayed arrival of INEC staff and election materials, a situation which some INEC officials attributed to lack of vehicles to convey materials as scheduled. This further discouraged voters, as some of them went back to their houses.

Although INEC’s election materials were moved to various collation centers on Friday evening for onward distribution to polling units on Saturday, most of the items distributed were faulty and could not function properly.

Our Correspondent, who reported from Mercy Girls School, a polling unit in Abia, said although the turnout of voters was below expectations, owing to incessant rainfall as the election was ongoing, the general state of the election in the unit alongside other units she visited in the state was peaceful, adding that a total of 10 young men who attempted snatching ballot boxes in different parts of Bende Local Government Area of the state were arrested and handed over to Army personnel at the Local Government headquarters.

Also, two persons were killed while three others sustained injuries in a clash between APC and PDP members in Amagu ward one, Ikwo LGA of Ebonyi state.

In Okota area of Lagos State, a thug identified as Demola, a popular OPC member, led a group of deviants to disrupt, snatch and burn ballot boxes. A situation which stirred angry voters to chase and stoned him to death as shown in a viral video.

INEC, however, ordered the extension of voting time for some of the polling units that did not commence polls on-time and experienced some challenges.

As at the time of filing this report, sorting and counting of votes were ongoing in some of the polling units where voting have been concluded.