LIVE UPDATES: Results Collation Ongoing, INEC Suspends Polls In Nine Kogi Wards
There have been reports of abduction, gunshots, vote-buying, pre-filled result sheets, and thuggery.
Quick Facts
51 Governorship Candidates
5,169,692 Eligible Voters
Police Deploys 92,565
Live Updates
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is holding the first off-cycle elections since the 2023 general elections today as the people of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states decide on their governors for new four-year terms.
A total of 46,084 regular and ad hoc staff are deployed in the three states, according to the electoral body.
At least 126 national and international organisations are accredited with 11,000 observers deployed for the elections, while 80 media organisations applied to deploy 1,203 personnel, including journalists and technical/support staff.
All 18 political parties are contesting in Kogi, while Imo and Bayelsa have 17 and 16 candidates, respectively, with the parties deploying 137,934 agents made up of 130,093 polling and 7,841 collation agents.
To ensure a secure environment for electoral conduct, the police mobilised a total of 92,565 personnel, including 27,000 in Bayelsa, 25,565 in Imo, and 40,000 in Kogi, and several assets such as five helicopters and 15 gunboats.
The Federal Road Safety Corps also deployed 1,500 operatives and 105 vehicles.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, says the elections will be held in 10,470 polling units across 649 electoral wards in 56 local government areas.
Channels Television will keep you up to speed with all the latest information. Refresh this page for more updates.
8:28 pm: INEC suspends elections in nine wards in Ogori/Magongo LGA of Kogi State, saying incidents in some other LGAs are being investigated and its decision will be announced in the next 24 hours.
7:17 pm: INEC announces the release of its Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) abducted on Friday, saying, “The officer is doing fine.”
7:12 pm: LP governorship candidate in Imo State, Athan Achonu, wants INEC to cancel polling units where violence was recorded and calls for a rerun in those areas.
Athan Achonu, the LP Governorship candidate, wants INEC to cancel polling units where violence occurred.#ImoDecides2023 #CTVTweets #NigeriaElections pic.twitter.com/KOGukpcGUx
— Channels Television (@channelstv) November 11, 2023
5:49 pm: Setup of Bayelsa State Collation Centre begins.
Channels TV Correspondent Chris Ilems reports on the electoral exercise from the state INEC headquarters in Yenagoa.
5:35 pm: Results arrive at the Kolokuma/Opokuma Council Area in Bayelsa State from polling units for collation.
3:35 pm: An INEC official uploads the results onto the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in Lokoja LGA, Kogi State.
An election official trying to upload results on the INEC Results View at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in the Lokoja local government area.#KogiDecides2023 #CTVTweets #NigeriaElections pic.twitter.com/s7AypWlKEC
— Channels Television (@channelstv) November 11, 2023
3:34 pm: With voting ended, electoral officials have sorted and counted the votes, the results of which have been agreed to by party agents at Ikenegbu Girls Secondary School in Owerri Municipal.
Channels TV Correspondent Kayla Megwa reports that the results have been uploaded to the IReV portal.
3:13 pm: At Polling Unit 069, Crowder 2, Open Place in Ward 01 in Lokoja LGA, voting has ended and ballots have been counted.
The results are as follows:
AA – 1
ADC – 3
APC – 38
PDP – 15
SDP – 23
Invalid Votes – 6
3:13 pm: INEC refutes allegations that shortlisted and trained INEC ad hoc staff members were dropped and replaced with unknown individuals.
FAKE NEWS ALERT pic.twitter.com/qWYjvHyyOX
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) November 11, 2023
2:55 pm: Voting has ended at Polling Unit 079 in Ward 01 of Lokoja LGA, Kogi State. Election officials are crossing out the unused ballot papers as stipulated in the Electoral Law.
2:47 pm: Results from Agudama Ekpetiama Ward 9, Unit 10 in Bayelsa State.
2:45 pm: Sorting and counting concludes at Ward 9, Unit 10 of Agudama Ekpetiama Community in Bayelsa State.
Voting and collation concluded at Ward 9, Unit 10, in the Agudama Ekpetiama community in Bayelsa State.
The result has already been pasted on the wall.#BayelsaDecides2023#CTVTweets#NigeriaElections pic.twitter.com/85mnOab6HN
— Channels Television (@channelstv) November 11, 2023
2:41 pm: Sorting process underway at Polling Unit 069, Lokoja, Kogi State.
1:40 pm: INEC officials and residents at a polling unit in Oguta, Imo State narrate how men on motorcycles snatched the result sheets, delaying the exercise. An electoral officer told journalists INEC had been notified for replacements.
1:23 pm: Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello says there are “no hitches”, further lauding the exercise as “fantastic”.
1:19 pm: Bayelsa APC candidate Timipre Sylva casts his vote at Ward 4, Unit 4 in Brass LGA before addressing journalists on what he describes as the harassment of his party’s supporters.
12:43 pm: An election observer gives updates on the conduct and security situation at some polling units in Bayelsa where he says there have been gunshots, abductions, and vote-buying.
12:32 pm: Election observers visit Polling Unit 012 & 069 Crowther Memorial College Lokoja, Kogi State.
12:02 pm: Low voter turnout in some polling units like this one in Community Primary Ihu Ikeduru LGA Booth 001 in Imo State with accredited election observers shying away from the camera.
11:38 am: Imo State Governor Uzodimma votes in Oru, telling journalists he is impressed with the electoral conduct.
11:00 am: Gunshots reported at a polling unit in Imo.
10:58 am: INEC raises the alarm over allegations of pre-filled result sheets discovered in some polling units in Kogi State, saying its senior officials have been mobilised to investigate the reports.
Breaking News
Our attention has been drawn to a report that filled result sheets were discovered in some polling units in Kogi State.
The Commission views this situation seriously.
Our senior officials deployed to the State are currently investigating the incident(s). The…
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) November 11, 2023
10:48 am: Bayelsa State Governor and PDP candidate Douye Diri, after voting at his polling unit in Sampou, Kolokuma/Opukuma LGA, expresses satisfaction over INEC’s conduct of the election.
He accuses Timipre Sylva of the APC of violence, saying PDP agents were denied entry into Nembe LGA.
10:39 am: The PDP governorship candidate in Imo, Samuel Anyanwu, addresses journalists over the late arrival of voting materials in Amaimo Ward in Ikeduru LGA.
He alleges that gunshots heard in the ward were by security operatives warding off thugs purportedly attempting to scuttle the electoral process.
10:35 am: Voters wait to cast their ballots at Polling Unit 032, Omuma Ward, Oru East LGA, Imo State.
10:11 am: Former President Goodluck Jonathan votes at Ward 13 Polling Unit 39 in Otuoeke, Bayelsa.
The ex-president expresses concern over the spate of off-cycle elections in Nigeria, calling on the National Assembly to create a legislature that would align all the elections as off-cycle elections are not healthy for Nigeria’s democracy.
9:56 am: Governor Douye Diri, the PDP governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, casts his vote in the Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA.
9:52 am: PDP governorship candidate in Kogi State, Dino Melaye, accuses the APC of trying to compromise the election in Ogori/Msngogo LGA.
9:08 am: APC governorship candidate Ahmed Ododo arrives for voting at his polling in Unit 12, Ward 001, Upogoro/Odenku in Okene, Kogi State.
9:00 am: Voters turn out at Unit 009, LEA Primary School II in Ganaja, the Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State to exercise their franchise.
8:30 am: Voting begins at Polling Unit 012 Crowder Memorial College Lokoja.
8:25 am: INEC officials set up at Community Primary school, Otulu Ward Polling Unit 2 and 3, Otulu Community, Oru West LGA, in Imo State.
8:15 am: At Central School Amaimo Ikeduru, Imo State, Polling Unit 001 and 002, INEC officials have yet to arrive with no election materials on site. Amaimo has 26 Polling Units. This school has two.
8:08 am: As electoral materials arrive at Azuzi Uzi Ward 4, Uzi Primary School, Owerri Municipal, in Imo State, ad hoc staff set up the polling booths.
7:51 am: Troops enforce restriction order as journalists, motorists, voters, and travellers are prevented from entering Okene via Itakpe, Kogi Central.
7:42 am: Ad hoc staff members receive electoral materials at the Registration Area Centres in Ward A, Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Materials are distributed from the Registration Area Centres in Ward A, Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State as ad hoc staff are deployed to their respective polling units for duty.
(Photos: Taiwo Adeshina/ChannelsTV) pic.twitter.com/c9TokWP9Lc
— Channels Television (@channelstv) November 11, 2023
7:22 am: INEC Official Kidnapped In Bayelsa, Boat Carrying Personnel Capsizes
INEC confirms the abduction of its SPO (Supervising Polling Officer) assigned to Registration Area 06 (Ossioma) in Sagbama LGA of Bayelsa State on Friday, while waiting to board a boat at the Amassoma Jetty.
“The security agencies have been notified,” the commission says in a statement.
PRESS RELEASE
Boat with 12 Election Personnel Capsizes in Southern Ijaw, SPO Abducted in Sagbama pic.twitter.com/SqTt9JtBhv
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) November 10, 2023
7:16 am: Ad hoc staff are deployed to their various units/location in Ward A of the Lokoja Local Government Area in Kogi State.
7:11 am: Security officers enforce the restriction on movement at the Lokoja-Okene Expressway.
Motorists and travellers are stranded on the Lokoja-Okene Expressway at military checkpoints moments before voting commences in the Kogi governorship election.
(Photos: Sodiq Adelakun/ChannelsTV) pic.twitter.com/r7nVwwFXJs
— Channels Television (@channelstv) November 11, 2023
7:01 am: The fire service junction at Owerri Municipal where voters tell us they will be casting their votes as soon as the elections commence.
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