The Director of Media and Publicity, All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in this interview with ADEBAYO FOLORUNSHO-FRANCIS discloses that the loss of Lagos and upsets in some northern states are not enough to stop APC presidential standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, from emerging Nigeria’s next president
What is your assessment of the presidential election and the ongoing collation of results?
From the field reports we got so far, I will say they are okay. In my part of Ogun State where I voted, there was no single incident of violence. Everything went well. The BVAS worked well in my unit and the entire Ijebu Ode town. So far, I am also yet to hear anybody say they have an issue in that area.
There was a bit of confusion in Lagos. From what we heard, some new polling units were created and I think people who didn’t get to check their names on the wall got confused about where the unit they fell. I think the main confusion arose when they started asking around for their polling booths.
The Director of Media and Publicity, All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in this interview with ADEBAYO FOLORUNSHO-FRANCIS discloses that the loss of Lagos and upsets in some northern states are not enough to stop APC presidential standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, from emerging Nigeria’s next president
What is your assessment of the presidential election and the ongoing collation of results?
From the field reports we got so far, I will say they are okay. In my part of Ogun State where I voted, there was no single incident of violence. Everything went well. The BVAS worked well in my unit and the entire Ijebu Ode town. So far, I am also yet to hear anybody say they have an issue in that area.
Are you aware that Obi penetrated and won some areas that used to be your stronghold?
In an election circle, whether this year or in another four years, there will always be changes in the demography. You can find, maybe, young people moving down to the place and old people moving out. You will find all kinds of things going on there and these affect voting patterns, especially where they registered. This is what is experienced all over the world. Even in the United States, it is not unusual see Democrats moving. If they move to a particular area en masse, they will influence the results of polling. That is what we are experiencing in Nigeria.
What people are saying in Lagos is that our brothers from the South-East in the state decided to identify with Obi and that gave him victory. Of course, there are so many of them in Lagos, especially in areas such as Ikeja, Eti Osa, Amuwo, Alimosho and so on.
But there is evidence that Obi magic in Lagos is not down to one ethnic tribe. Isn’t it?
This one, essentially, was done by our brothers from the South East. But of course, I must also admit that there are some Yorubas who also believed that Obi is their candidate. As I said earlier, this is democracy and people are free to make their choice. The only thing is that this is a pan-Nigerian election where people in various states and councils will always make their choice.
Is it apt to say that youths had made the difference in this election as many predicted following the release of INEC voters’ statistics?
Well, everybody is entitled to his own opinion. Are there no youths in Ogun and Ondo states? What impact did they make? I said people have the right to make their choice. The youth alone cannot swing an election in a particular candidate’s favour. These same youths you talked about belong to various parties. So it is not a case of one party riding on the back of the youth to victory. Every party or candidate has its own youths wing and this will affect everybody.
What about the situation in Lagos?
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There was a bit of confusion in Lagos. From what we heard, some new polling units were created and I think people who didn’t get to check their names on the wall got confused about where the unit they fell. I think the main confusion arose when they started asking around for their polling booths.
There was another incident in Eti Osa where some LP supporters ‘arrested’ INEC officials. It took the intervention of soldiers to free them in VGC (Victoria Garden City). But, of course, this can be said to be an isolated case. I cannot dismiss the fact that there were reports of violence in some areas. But generally, things are much more peaceful.
Secondly, the entire results in Lagos have been released and I must admit that there was an upset. But that is democracy in action. The demography that favours Mr Obi gave him the edge. The lapses are noted. do better in the subsequent elections.
The Director of Media and Publicity, All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in this interview with ADEBAYO FOLORUNSHO-FRANCIS discloses that the loss of Lagos and upsets in some northern states are not enough to stop APC presidential standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, from emerging Nigeria’s next presidentWhat is your assessment of the presidential election and the ongoing collation of results?
From the field reports we got so far, I will say they are okay. In my part of Ogun State where I voted, there was no single incident of violence. Everything went well. The BVAS worked well in my unit and the entire Ijebu Ode town. So far, I am also yet to hear anybody say they have an issue in that area.What about the situation in Lagos?
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Home 2023 Elections News Metro Plus Investigations Videos Sports Politics Business HealthWise Editorial Columns Podcast APC has noted its lapses in Lagos poll – PCC director 28th February 2023 Onanuga Bayo Onanuga
By Adebayo Fol The Director of Media and Publicity, All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in this interview with ADEBAYO FOLORUNSHO-FRANCIS discloses that the loss of Lagos and upsets in some northern states are not enough to stop APC presidential standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, from emerging Nigeria’s next president
What is your assessment of the presidential election and the ongoing collation of results?
From the field reports we got so far, I will say they are okay. In my part of Ogun State where I voted, there was no single incident of violence. Everything went well. The BVAS worked well in my unit and the entire Ijebu Ode town. So far, I am also yet to hear anybody say they have an issue in that area.
What about the situation in Lagos?
There was a bit of confusion in Lagos. From what we heard, some new polling units were created and I think people who didn’t get to check their names on the wall got confused about where the unit they fell. I think the main confusion arose when they started asking around for their polling booths.
There was another incident in Eti Osa where some LP supporters ‘arrested’ INEC officials. It took the intervention of soldiers to free them in VGC (Victoria Garden City). But, of course, this can be said to be an isolated case. I cannot dismiss the fact that there were reports of violence in some areas. But generally, things are much more peaceful.
Secondly, the entire results in Lagos have been released and I must admit that there was an upset. But that is democracy in action. The demography that favours Mr Obi gave him the edge. The lapses are noted. I am sure we will do better in the subsequent elections.
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Home 2023 Elections News Metro Plus Investigations Videos Sports Politics Business HealthWise Editorial Columns Podcast APC has noted its lapses in Lagos poll – PCC director 28th February 2023 Onanuga Bayo Onanuga
By Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis Kindly share this story:
The Director of Media and Publicity, All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in this interview with ADEBAYO FOLORUNSHO-FRANCIS discloses that the loss of Lagos and upsets in some northern states are not enough to stop APC presidential standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, from emerging Nigeria’s next president
What is your assessment of the presidential election and the ongoing collation of results?
From the field reports we got so far, I will say they are okay. In my part of Ogun State where I voted, there was no single incident of violence. Everything went well. The BVAS worked well in my unit and the entire Ijebu Ode town. So far, I am also yet to hear anybody say they have an issue in that area.
What about the situation in Lagos?
There was a bit of confusion in Lagos. From what we heard, some new polling units were created and I think people who didn’t get to check their names on the wall got confused about where the unit they fell. I think the main confusion arose when they started asking around for their polling booths.
There was another incident in Eti Osa where some LP supporters ‘arrested’ INEC officials. It took the intervention of soldiers to free them in VGC (Victoria Garden City). But, of course, this can be said to be an isolated case. I cannot dismiss the fact that there were reports of violence in some areas. But generally, things are much more peaceful.
Secondly, the entire results in Lagos have been released and I must admit that there was an upset. But that is democracy in action. The demography that favours Mr Obi gave him the edge. The lapses are noted. I am sure we will do better in the subsequent elections.
Are you aware that Obi penetrated and won some areas that used to be your stronghold?
In an election circle, whether this year or in another four years, there will always be changes in the demography. You can find, maybe, young people moving down to the place and old people moving out. You will find all kinds of things going on there and these affect voting patterns, especially where they registered. This is what is experienced all over the world. Even in the United States, it is not unusual see Democrats moving. If they move to a particular area en masse, they will influence the results of polling. That is what we are experiencing in Nigeria.
What people are saying in Lagos is that our brothers from the South-East in the state decided to identify with Obi and that gave him victory. Of course, there are so many of them in Lagos, especially in areas such as Ikeja, Eti Osa, Amuwo, Alimosho and so on.
But there is evidence that Obi magic in Lagos is not down to one ethnic tribe. Isn’t it?
This one, essentially, was done by our brothers from the South East. But of course, I must also admit that there are some Yorubas who also believed that Obi is their candidate. As I said earlier, this is democracy and people are free to make their choice. The only thing is that this is a pan-Nigerian election where people in various states and councils will always make their choice.
Is it apt to say that youths had made the difference in this election as many predicted following the release of INEC voters’ statistics?
Well, everybody is entitled to his own opinion. Are there no youths in Ogun and Ondo states? What impact did they make? I said people have the right to make their choice. The youth alone cannot swing an election in a particular candidate’s favour. These same youths you talked about belong to various parties. So it is not a case of one party riding on the back of the youth to victory. Every party or candidate has its own youths wing and this will affect everybody.With the ongoing collation and surprise results springing up, what are your expectations?
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Home 2023 Elections News Metro Plus Investigations Videos Sports Politics Business HealthWise Editorial Columns Podcast APC has noted its lapses in Lagos poll – PCC director 28th February 2023 Onanuga Bayo Onanuga
By Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis Kindly share this story:
The Director of Media and Publicity, All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in this interview with ADEBAYO FOLORUNSHO-FRANCIS discloses that the loss of Lagos and upsets in some northern states are not enough to stop APC presidential standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, from emerging Nigeria’s next president
What is your assessment of the presidential election and the ongoing collation of results?
From the field reports we got so far, I will say they are okay. In my part of Ogun State where I voted, there was no single incident of violence. Everything went well. The BVAS worked well in my unit and the entire Ijebu Ode town. So far, I am also yet to hear anybody say they have an issue in that area.
What about the situation in Lagos?
There was a bit of confusion in Lagos. From what we heard, some new polling units were created and I think people who didn’t get to check their names on the wall got confused about where the unit they fell. I think the main confusion arose when they started asking around for their polling booths.
There was another incident in Eti Osa where some LP supporters ‘arrested’ INEC officials. It took the intervention of soldiers to free them in VGC (Victoria Garden City). But, of course, this can be said to be an isolated case. I cannot dismiss the fact that there were reports of violence in some areas. But generally, things are much more peaceful.
Secondly, the entire results in Lagos have been released and I must admit that there was an upset. But that is democracy in action. The demography that favours Mr Obi gave him the edge. The lapses are noted. I am sure we will do better in the subsequent elections.
Are you aware that Obi penetrated and won some areas that used to be your stronghold?
In an election circle, whether this year or in another four years, there will always be changes in the demography. You can find, maybe, young people moving down to the place and old people moving out. You will find all kinds of things going on there and these affect voting patterns, especially where they registered. This is what is experienced all over the world. Even in the United States, it is not unusual see Democrats moving. If they move to a particular area en masse, they will influence the results of polling. That is what we are experiencing in Nigeria.
What people are saying in Lagos is that our brothers from the South-East in the state decided to identify with Obi and that gave him victory. Of course, there are so many of them in Lagos, especially in areas such as Ikeja, Eti Osa, Amuwo, Alimosho and so on.
But there is evidence that Obi magic in Lagos is not down to one ethnic tribe. Isn’t it?
This one, essentially, was done by our brothers from the South East. But of course, I must also admit that there are some Yorubas who also believed that Obi is their candidate. As I said earlier, this is democracy and people are free to make their choice. The only thing is that this is a pan-Nigerian election where people in various states and councils will always make their choice.
Is it apt to say that youths had made the difference in this election as many predicted following the release of INEC voters’ statistics?
Well, everybody is entitled to his own opinion. Are there no youths in Ogun and Ondo states? What impact did they make? I said people have the right to make their choice. The youth alone cannot swing an election in a particular candidate’s favour. These same youths you talked about belong to various parties. So it is not a case of one party riding on the back of the youth to victory. Every party or candidate has its own youths wing and this will affect everybody.
With the ongoing collation and surprise results springing up, what are your expectations?
Related News #NigeriaElections2023: Atiku wins Sokoto, defeats Tinubu, others #NigeriaElections2023: Commonwealth observers say election ‘largely peaceful’ Presidential poll: INEC continues results collation despite protests From what the reports we have received so far from various states, we are on course to win. Where we are not even winning, we are getting a sizeable number of votes. The ultimate thing is to get the majority votes. Even if you like, win 12 or 15 states, you don’t have the plurality of votes or quarter of votes in 24 states, you have won nothing. It is only the candidate who meets that condition that will triumph. I believe that the APC is on course. As we speak, we have more than a quarter in 24 states already.
While Obi is battling your principal for the soul of states in the South, Atiku seems to overrun the North East and North West, especially with his victory in Katsina. Did you see that coming?
Won Katsina by a margin of about 9,000 votes? We actually saw it coming. It is something we call a tie because he only beat our candidate by just 9,000 votes. In truth, we actually thought Katsina would be a disaster prior to polling. But it turned out to be a very good hunting ground for us. Nobody was sure we are going to do very well in Katsina. But with 482,283 votes, that is massive.
Going into Saturday’s election, a lot of permutations on states’ voting strength in the North West and North East seemed to favour Tinubu. What changed?
Nothing changed. Our expectation in Adamawa, for instance, was to win 25 per cent. I don’t have the complete result now. From what I gathered, we didn’t do badly.
Is it a case of your political foot soldiers, lieutenants not doing enough or outright betrayal by some party members?Again, this is democracy. People make their choices. We can’t blame anybody. That is why I said in politics, 24 hours is a long time. The people can decide to swing votes this way or that way. The important thing for us is that we are getting the spread we needed and also winning many of these states. Look at Benue, for instance. It was a surprise. People didn’t expect us to do too well in Benue. But we are pulling our weight there. We even beat (Governor Samuel) Ortom in the Senate. Imagine a candidate that is not well known beating a sitting governor. These are the things you expect in politics. Nobody expected us to pull any weight in Benue. And there we are, springing surprises here and there.
Look at the voting pattern since Saturday, where will you finger as your core strength?
We have shown it in the South-West. Even though Atiku snatched Osun State, you can see the gap is not so wide. He is not winning massively in Adamawa or other areas of the North. If you see the margin of votes between the APC and PDP in Lagos and Kano is about one million. So whatever advantage Atiku is bringing from the North, which has already wiped it off. Can you see the technicality of this election? We are winning Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Borno. I don’t have all the states we are winning at the moment. But we believe we are going to win at the end of the day.
What about your preparation for a run-off if this election enters a penalty shoot-out?
Which run-off? I don’t think this election will enter a run-off. It is straight off. It is clear that only one person is going to win on the first ballot and that candidate will be Asiwaju. We don’t hide it when we know an area we are going to lose. For instance, look at Lagos. How many votes and who is taking it away? It is Obi, not even Atiku. In some other places where you found out candidates are losing, look for who is occupying number two. So when I tell you we are winning on the first ballot, take my word for it.
Are you still convinced INEC can deliver on the 2023 general election?
So far, so good, it is doing its best. We know they are not perfect. I believe they are doing all the best they could in the circumstance. I also believe the introduction of BVAS has proved to be a game changer.
How are you taking the loss of APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, in his senatorial zone in Nasarawa?A number of propelling factors came to play in the loss of Adamu in Nasarawa. But we don’t want to dwell much on that for now.
Opposition parties have walked out of the venue where results from Nigeria’s tightly contested presidential elections are being announced.
The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party have claimed there is a lack of transparency with the new electronic voter system.
This is the first national election where an electronic device has been used to accredit voters.
The election commission has denied the opposition parties’ complaints.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) chairman Mahmood Yakubu said the announcement of results would continue.
The PDP representative at the election centre in Abuja described the process as fraudulent, and accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of colluding with Inec, while the Labour Party asked for the announcements to be suspended, or for the election to be cancelled and rerun.
The APC, whose candidate Bola Tinubu has established an early lead from results announced so far, said those dissatisfied with the results should go to court, and that the parties should first let the process run its course.
With about a third of the 36 states officially declared, Mr Tinubu has 44% of votes cast, ahead of Mr Abubakar on 33%, and Mr Obi on 18%. However, many of the results yet to come are from the north and south-east, seen as strongholds of the PDP and Labour Party respectively, so the final outcome remains unpredictable.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP have dominated Nigeria since the end of military rule in 1999 but this time, Mr Obi from the previously little known Labour Party is expected to mount a strong challenge to the two-party system. He has the support of many young people, who make up a third of registered voters. There are 15 other candidates.
A candidate needs to have the most votes and a quarter of ballots cast in 25 of the 36 states plus Abuja to be declared the winner.
Otherwise, there will be a run-off within 21 days – a first in Nigeria’s history.
Mr Obi has caused a major upset by winning in Nigeria’s biggest city, Lagos, narrowly defeating Mr Tinubu in his heartland.
Mr Tinubu is a former governor of Lagos state and hopes to use his record there as the basis of his presidential bid.
The ruling party candidate has accepted defeat in Lagos and said that as a democrat, he was bound to accept the outcome of any election.
“People have a right to vote for the candidate of their choice,” he said in a statement released by his campaign team.
He also appealed for calm from his supporters after his loss, following reports of violence in parts of Lagos against traders from the Igbo community, like Mr Obi.
Mr Obi’s victory in Lagos, though a major breakthrough for a third-party candidate, is not necessarily a huge surprise. The city is home to many young, educated people, as well as a large Igbo population – all groups widely seen as backing his campaign.
He has also won in his heartland eastern Enugu state.
What is the problem with electronic system? Inec had assured Nigerians that the electronic voting system, known as Bvas, would enable it to transmit election results direct from polling stations to improve transparency.
However, there were complaints on Saturday from many voters that electoral officials refused to upload the results at the polling stations as they are supposed to.
Officials complained of a lack of internet in some places to upload the results, but voters have shared videos and images shared where Inec officials refused to upload the results.
Inec chairman Mr Yakubu has apologised for the inability of the commission to upload most of the results as promised, saying that a surge in traffic caused glitches.
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