Buhari beats Atiku in Lagos with narrow margin

The Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari, defeated the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, in Lagos with narrow margin.

The Saturday presidential election result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Yaba, Lagos State, on Monday afternoon, showed that President Buhari polled 580,814 votes to beat Atiku, who got 448,016 votes, indicating a winning margin of 132,798 votes.

The total votes cast was far lower than the three million votes APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, boasted APC will deliver to Buhari in Lagos State.

The votes cast in Lagos were also lower than the votes cast in the state in the 2015 presidential election. Buhari had defeated former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 with 792,460 votes to Jonathan’s 632,327 votes, showing a winning margin of 160,143 votes.

However, the Saturday elections were marred with violence, intimidation and harassment of voters, as well as inter-ethnic hostilities against non-indigenes by political thugs suspected to be recruited by APC leaders in Lagos State.

At different locations perceived to be dominated by non-indigenes, thugs invaded the polling units destroying polling materials and scattering the people, in their extremism, they burnt ballot papers of votes already cast.

The Igbo were the most hit victim of attack. At Ago Palace, Okota, thugs invaded polling units, scattered ballot boxes and burnt votes already cast. At Ladipo and the environs into Shogunle down to Oshodi, there were gun shots at the peak hours of voting which compelled many voters to abandon the polling units and rush hj0opme for safety. Ballot boxes were also carried away.

At Aguda, Surulere, Igbo voters were threatened and scattered from the polling units. Some witnesses alleged that they were told by the thugs to go back to the southeast to vote for their PDP.

Attempts to resist the hoodlums at Ago Palace Way, Okota, led to the bringing down of one Ademola, who was hit with stones while carrying the ballot box from a polling unit. He was speculated to have died but was later discovered to be in the hospital for medical treatment.

Ademola was claimed to be a member of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) but the group in a statement on Sunday declared that Ademola is not an OPC member. The OPC led by Aare Gani Adams explained that members are professionals and not thugs; adding that OPC believes in democracy and the rule of law.

Furthermore, the attack on the Igbo in Lagos on Election Day made the Afenifere issue a statement on Sunday, condemning the violence and reaffirming the friendship between the Yoruba and the Igbo.

Meanwhile, the presidential election result in Lagos shows that Buhari won 15 while Atiku won five of the 20 local government areas in the state.

Highlight of the result:

Ibeju/Lekki LG

APC: 12,179

PDP: 9,222

Lagos lsland LG

APC: 27,452

PDP: 7,396

Apapa LG

APC-18,170

PDP-11,295

Ikorodu LG