71 parties turn onlookers at national collation centre

While 73 parties contested in last Saturday’s presidential election, only APC’s President Muhammadu Buhari and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar are the point of attraction to Nigerians as INEC releases state-by-state results.

Though some presidential candidates had withdrawn from the race, such as Oby Ezekwesili of ACPN, or adopted one of the two leading contenders, Daily Trust reports that many of the parties have sent their agents to the collation centre at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

While the Director General of the Nigeria Custom Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) and Festus Keyamo are the APC agents at the centre, the duo of a former Aviation minister, Osita Chidoka and Dr. Usman Bugaje are representing the PDP.

Some people are, however, wondering why the PDP is still being represented at the centre despite rejecting the entire process long before collation went far.

Curiously, though agents of other parties that adopted PDP were also seated at the venue during the commencement of collation on Monday, they didn’t seem to be interested in what was happening.

Many were seen giving more attention to their cell phones or discussing with colleagues representing other parties.

However, there are some who regularly asked questions on issues relating to either APC or PDP but in most instances, INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, simply asked the secretariat to take note.

“Many of the agents you see at the venue are simply there for nuisance value,” a political analyst, Mohammed Ali, said.

Ali, who attributed the snail speed in the process of announcing the results to the large number of parties on the ballot, said most of them insisted on fielding candidates for nuisance value.

“Is it not mind-boggling to see a political party scoring 10 or 20 votes in a whole state?” he asked.

“I think INEC and the political actors should sit and sort out all these things; any party that did not produce certain number of elective positions should cease to exist so as to allow some oxygen in the political environment,” he said.