Memories of March 28
Chiemelie Ezeobi gives an eyewitness account of what happened on the streets of Lagos during the just concluded presidential election
A fter months of preparation and exchange of crossfire between the two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), the 2015 presidential election has come and gone with General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, now the President-elect.
Expectedly, the last few weeks leading to the election was a tense one, with both major parties doing their last minute campaigns. Finally, the election day arrived and Nigerians at large went out to vote en mass.
Initial Hiccups
Although the election has been adjudged fair and credible, it was not without some initial hitches, chief among it being the card reader. Across the nation, about 300 card readers out of the 1,500 deployed had some hitches including the one at President Goodluck Jonathan's polling unit in Otuoke, Bayelsa State.
It was not only in Bayelsa that the card reader suffered a technical glitch, there were similar complaints across the country, prompting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resort to manual accreditation.Similar incidents of card reader failure was also recorded in some polling units on Rivers and Lagos State.
Torrential Rainfall
Whilst voters trooped out to cast their votes for their favourite candidate, the heavens let open and rain fell in torrents in some parts of Lagos.
However, instead of dissuading them from voting, Lagosians defied the rain to cast their votes. While some went home and brought their umbrellas, others who couldn't braved the elements and still cast their votes before heading home.
No Barrier
The presidential election revealed the resilience and patriotism of many Nigerians, especially the sick and the aged. In some communities, sick people were brought from their hospital beds to vote.
In one of the polling units in Lagos, an elderly man was caught on camera as he was escorted to the polling unit by two nurses who supported him until he fulfilled his civic duties before they ferried him back.
Not just did the sick and aged vote, pictures emerged of the underage voting in some parts of the country.
Intra-city Movement
The patriotism of Lagosians was observed when some of them trekked kilometers just to vote. This group of people braved the sun and even the rain to walk long distances just to vote.
Speaking to THISDAY, Mr and Mrs Ikechukwu Edmund, who drove down from Ikorodu to Ago area in Okota, to vote, said they were buoyed by the zeal to fulfill their civic responsibility.
To beat the 8am to 6pm curfew, the couple said they left their home as early as 5am and drove down to Lagos to vote. Explaining why they did not register in Ikorodu, they said they were residing in Ago in 2011 when registration was being done.
Another electorate who spoke to THISDAY at one of the polling units in Ejigbo said he trekked from Cele bus stop. He said, "I really wanted to vote this year. When I left my house, I didn't see any bus or bike to convey me to my polling unit so I walked.
"The only hassle I had on the way was security people who stopped me intermittently but they always released me each time I showed them my Permanent Voter’s Card.
Another voter who simply gave his name as Ifeanyi, still at Ejigbo polling unit said he braved the distance to protest the perception that an Igbo man would rather sell his goods than vote.
Yet another voter told THISDAY that he had registered at the polling unit beside his shop at Ijesha, even though he resides at Ilasa. Given that he is not mobile, he trekked to his polling unit and cast his vote.
However, some like Femi Ayorinde were lucky enough to get some help on the way. Ayorinde who said he lives at Ikeja but registered at Okota said his journey was made a little bit smooth by two kindhearted Lagosians in their private vehicles, who picked and dropped him off intermittently.
Love at the Polls
Although that Saturday was a day nobody got married in Nigeria, a first of its kind, love still triumphed. At polling unit 016, Akerele, Surulere, a youngman engaged his girlfriend.
In the picture which has since gone viral, the young man, who was identified as a teacher, had been standing on the queue to get accredited with his girlfriend and suddenly he pulled a shocker.
He brought out the ring and asked his girlfriend, who was dressed in red polka dot dress, to marry him and she accepted.
Orubebe's Dramatic Outburst
Perhaps more memorable was the dramatic outburst by PDP agent and former Minister of State for Niger Delta, Mr Godsday Orubebe and other agent, Bello Fadile.
The duo had tried to disrupt the process at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. He had accused the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, of being biased.
He said INEC was quick to attend to APC's petition, while theirs submitted against the election results in some northern states, including Kano, was all but ignored.
In the live broadcast shown, Orubebe had for about 15 minutes held the entire process hostage, screaming that they have lost confidence in the INEC chairman.
Daring the security agents to arrest him he kept shouting, “You have refused to listen to our protest. We have lost confidence in you and we don’t believe in you anymore. We have complained against the election results from Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina.
“You are partial and tribalistic. We won’t take it anymore until something is done. He returned our protests to us. We complained against Kaduna and he hurriedly went to set up a committee for Rivers.
"Let him set up a committee to go to Kano, Kaduna and Katsina. He is playing a script, we won’t allow it. This country belongs to everybody, Jega has nothing to reply. He did not reply us.
"You cannot respond here. In Rivers state, he did it here. Go to your office and do what you did in your office. Let him go to his office and do it. We complained to him quietly in his office and he sent somebody to throw our letter to us."
On and on he went until Jega took over. In his explanations, he said, “After we took the first batch of result, as I was walking back to the office, my PA came to present a paper from Dr. Fadile. I told him that I did not ask him to collect any letter from any one and that he return the letter to Fadile.
“I told him that I don’t accept petitions from here that they should go to the INEC office as this is a collation centre where results are being released. The Secretary is in INEC office. As I speak to you now, I have not seen any petition. Orubebe you a former minister and a statesman. Be careful of your public conduct."
Following the backlash of his actions, Orubebe has since apologised for his outburst.
Tragedies in Lagos
It was a harvest of tragedies in different areas of Lagos on the day of the election. In one of the incidents, a woman allegedly stabbed her husband to death over party affiliation.
Also, different fire incidents across the burnt two kids to death and razed buildings, even as boat ferrying the crown prince of Epe Local Government area in Lagos capsized, drowning him and five others including the APC candidate for Epe LGA.
The murder incident which happened at Military Zone Junction, at the Ejigbo area of the state, had the woman who was simply identified as Onyinyechi, stab her husband in the heart.
When THISDAY visited the crime scene, the suspect had already been arrested and detained at the Ejigbo Police Division.
According to eyewitness report, the couple, who were expecting their first child together, had a minor argument over their party affiliations and it irked the wife who snatched a knife and stabbed her husband.
However, contrary reports from the neighbours said although they have no idea what caused the incident, the suspect had called for help too late.
One of the neighbours who spoke under anonymity said, "We really don't know what went wrong because that morning the incident happened, they had both sat outside gisting.
"They later went indoors and hours later, Onyinyechi ran out to say her husband was dying. When we got there, there was so much blood already. He died before we could take him to the hospital.
"Apparently, after she stabbed him, she tried to stop the flow of blood herself but in the process he lost so much blood. He might have survived if we had known on time."
Meanwhile, another tragedy occurred at the Faluyi Igbo Efon area of Lekki, when an inferno caused by a cooking gas burnt two children to death.
Confirming the incident, the the South-west National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Spokesperson, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, had said the two kids, a boy and girl, were visiting from Ikoyi, and came to stay in the house for the election period to be over.
"When the fire started, evacuation of the occupants by neighbours were done but no one gave information about the visiting children who were said to be hiding under bed.
"It was later that their host remembered the
The presidential election revealed the resilience and patriotism of many Nigerians, especially the sick and the aged. In some communities, sick people were brought from their hospital beds to vote
children but it was late already. Other affected victims who sustained major burns are being treated at various hospitals around," he said.
Farinloye also said that another fire outbreak occurred last night at Silver Crescent Anthony, Ilupeju and it involved a twin duplex, even as a two-bedroom flat at 11 Bendel close off Bishop Aboyade V/I was damaged by fire.
In another development, the boat carrying the Olu of Epe's son, Aremo Azeez Adewale, and APC Epe LGA candidate, Muiz Bello, had capsized as they returned from voting.
Adewale who was a director in the Ministry of Chieftaincy affairs and was currently appointed as the Permanent Secretary LASG, was also the first son of Olu of Epe, Oba Sefiu Olatunji Adewale. The prince has since been buried according to Muslim rites at his house in Isasi, Epe.
Farinloye had told THISDAY that the Epe monarch Crown prince and his wife, as well as Muiz Bello, aspirant of Epe LGA Chairmanship candidate and his wife were involved.
He said, "His wife was said to have registered across the sea and wanted to get it while the husband insisted that he wouldn't allow her to go alone. However, the wife survived while the husband died.
"They were moving from Marine Road to Mahusa (the other side of the water) to vote. Mahusa booth is part of ward four.
"The total number of people in the capsized boat were eight, including the the paddler and his two sons, although one of his son survived. The crown prince, his wife, Bello and three others drowned before help could come."
Peaceful Election
In preparation for the election the Nigerian Navy (NN), the Lagos State Police Command and other security agencies within the Lagos area of responsibility, had beefed up security across the state although the military were not deployed to polling units.
The navy through its Western Naval Command had showcased its readiness through the show of force it exhibited at sea by patrolling the waterways to keep it safe from any maritime illegalities.
For the navy, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Rear Admiral Jonathan Ango, had said the command was fully prepared in support in overall success of the forthcoming elections.
On the part of the police, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, had revealed that they deployed a total of 36,204 personnel drawn from all the Security and Emergency Response Agencies, for the purpose of the election.
The agencies that made up the total figure were drawn from the police, army, Department of State Service(DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC), immigration and others.
He also said they deployed 500 Patrol Vehicles, 100 Buses, 100 Motorcycles, seven Trucks, three Black Maria Truck, one Luxury Bus, 15 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) minimum of four in each Senatorial District, five Gun Boats, 10 Speed Boats to man the waters and two Helicopters for aerial surveillance and patrol.
But on the day of the election, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), in charge of Lagos and Ogun States, Mr Joseph Mbu, who patrolled Lagos to ensure maximum security on that day, had deployed an additional 250 mobile police combat to support the personnel already on ground.Mbu who had also threatened to arrest anyone that attempts to snatch ballot boxes, later arrested one man, Sunday Oduyemi, who was walking his dog at the Egbeda area of Lagos.
Mbu, ordered his men to arrest Oduyemi when he could not give a satisfactory reason for walking around aimlessly with a wild dog, which he said could be harmful to voters. When querried, Oduyemi, said he was a musician who decided to walk his dog called princess.
Not satisfied with his answer, Mbu handed him over to the Area commander of Area M in Idimu, Lagos for further investigation. At the end of the exercise, Mbu said the security situation across the state was satisfactory.
The conduct of the military was such that the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress of Nigeria (APC) in Lagos, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, commended their general conduct.
He had said, "We thought the soldiers would be physically at the polling area, but my party rejected it. I am impressed with their performance.
"Soldiers were here in 2007, 2011, there was no problem but we thought that they will be seen around the voting area. They are there to maintain peace and they have been doing that. I commend them.
“Elections and voting are supposed to be fun. We are supposed to come to the polling station with our children have fun because it is not a do-or-die affair.
"I also commend the police especially those in this polling booth. They have been wonderful. The election has been peaceful so far."
Schools, Offices, Banks Shut Down over Fear of Post-election Violence in Lagos
Immediately results started trickling in to the collation centres, there was palpable tension across Lagos as schools, banks and offices, both on the Island and Mainland, asked their students and members of staff respectively to go back home. The tension might not have been unassociated with the fear of unknown over the aftermath of the just concluded and collated elections result for both the presidential and house of assembly elections.
THISDAY checks in some areas in Lagos had seen students of both primary and secondary schools thronging the road when they should have been in their classrooms.
Upon inquiry, the schools were said to have asked their students to return home based on rumours of widespread violence following the results of the elections.
Some of the schools visited by THISDAY at the Jakande, Okota, Ago, Gbagada, Oshodi, Ejigbo, saw the students returning home after they were dismissed by their principals.
Speaking on anonymity, one of the teachers at the Jakande area told THISDAY that they had initially opened the doors to their school but had a change of mind afterwards.
She said their decision was based on rumours of purported post-electoral violence, which they fear might erupt after all the results of the elections have been collated and announced.
This was contrary to the directive by the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who during a meeting with the 36 states Commissioners for Education, had agreed that schools should not be shut down for the coming general elections.
Also, offices owned by private individuals were shut down and the workers asked to go back home, to resume when the coast is clear.
Although banks did not close in the morning, THISDAY checks revealed that they closed earlier than expected with some closing as early as 12pm and others 3pm.Not only did schools, banks and offices shut down, virtually all roads in Lagos were free unlike what has been obtainable in the past.
Also free was the Mile 2 and Apapa axis, which was devoid of the usual terrible vehicular snarl, it is known for. The same thing happened the next day but immediately after the results were called and the winner obvious, people returned to the streets to continue their businesses.
The Historic Phone Call and Presidential Address
Immediately it became obvious that his opponent has won the polls, President Goodluck Jonathan at about 5.05pm called his Major General Muhamadu Buhari to congratulate him on his victory. In a statement afterwards, President Jonathan said, “I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word. I have also expanded the space for Nigerians to participate in the democratic process. That is one legacy I will like to see endure.
“Although some people have expressed mixed feelings about the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I urge those who may feel aggrieved to follow due process based on our constitution and our electoral laws, in seeking redress.
“As I have always affirmed, nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. The unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more important than anything else.
"I congratulate all Nigerians for successfully going through the process of the March 28th general elections with the commendable enthusiasm and commitment that was demonstrated nationwide.I also commend the security services for their role in ensuring that the elections were mostly peaceful and violence-free.
"To my colleagues in the PDP, I thank you for your support. Today, the PDP should be celebrating rather than mourning. We have established a legacy of democratic freedom, transparency, economic growth and free and fair elections.
“For the past 16 years, we have steered the country away from ethnic and regional politics. We created a pan-Nigerian political party and brought home to our people the realities of economic development and social transformation.
“Through patriotism and diligence, we have built the biggest and most patriotic party in Nigerian history. We must stand together as a party and look to the future with renewed optimism.
“I thank all Nigerians once again for the great opportunity I was given to lead this country and assure you that I will continue to do my best at the helm of national affairs until the end of my tenure. I have conveyed my personal best wishes to General Muhammadu Buhari."
Buhari's Acceptance Speech
Soon after he received the return certificate from INEC alongside his VP, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, the president elect said, "Today, more than 54 years after we got our independence and 16 years since our return to democracy, the walk to true change has started.
"We have toiled, sweated and worked hard for this victory. We refused to give up because the work of building the Nigeria of our dreams is not to be taken for granted.
"It is out of our love for this country and the belief in what it can be that we went across the length and breadth of Nigeria and sacrificed so much for this victory. I want to thank young Nigerians especially for this victory. You have been with us from the very beginning.
"Many of you left your jobs to work for the campaign, contributed your money and your time, volunteered in your areas and brought the innovation and energy that comes with youthfulness to bear on the outcome. This is your victory.
"You have chosen to vote for a Nigeria that sees you as not a Northerner or a Southerner, not as a Christian or a Muslim but as a Nigerian. You have chosen to vote for a departure from a nation that was decaying, that did not give you hope and pride.
"You have chosen to vote for change and we promise you that we will not be disappointed. We know that your hopes are high: a country that is safe and peaceful, a country that is without corruption, a country that produces jobs for you, a country that gives you the environment for your business to thrive.
"I promise you that the APC government led by me will deliver these to you. We will ensure that we meet and exceed your aspirations. This government is your government and every decision we shall take shall be to give you a positive future.
"We shall also run a country that will listen to you, engage with you and take corrections from you. This is because the task of building the Nigeria of our dreams cannot be done by us alone. We need you too.
"We need you to support us and we also need you to admonish us when we make missteps. This shall be a government for all Nigerians and we shall listen to everyone. We thank you once again for your support and we look forward to a great future together. God bless you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria."
Meanwhile his wife, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, also expressed confidence in her husband after he was declared winner of the 2015 Presidential elections. Tweeting from @IamAishaBuhari she wrote, "I am so proud of my husband and the team who have worked hard to make this happen.
"Nigerians are aware now more than ever that the people have the power to sway the fate of a nation. I too have watched with bated breath as the results have been announced.
"We must see this as a triumphant show of democracy, a change for the better. I am excited for the future of this nation as we now have a mandate for Change. It has been a gripping day for democracy in Nigeria."
Wikipedia Changes Buhari's Profile
Barely hours after Buhari was announced victorious in the elections, Wikipedia, changed his profile to reflect his new status as the president-elect.
The profile now reads, "Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is the President-elect for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a retired Major General in the Nigerian Army who was Head of State of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985, after taking power in a military coup d'état.
"He emerged as winner of the 2015 Presidential Elections which held on the 28 and 29 March, 2015. The term Buharism is ascribed to the Buhari military government.
"He also ran unsuccessfully for the office of President in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections. In December 2014, he emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, for the 2015 elections.
" A native of Daura in Katsina State, Buhari is of the Fulani ethnic background, and his faith is Sunni Islam."