LIVE UPDATES PAGE
Zikoko Citizen, in partnership with Stears, will publish the 2023 Nigeria election results here. The 2023 Nigeria Election results are sourced directly from INEC and validated by Stears.
Click on a state to see their 2023 election result in real-time, look at the candidates, and learn more about the State. The election result tracker will be live throughout the 2023 election period and after.
Governorship & State Assembly Elections
Election updates…
Welcome to Zikoko Citizen’s live coverage of the 2023 Governorship and State Assembly elections.
8:20 am (Summary)
Here’s what we know so far:
The governorship elections have seen a marked improvement in using the results portal, IReV. However, voter intimidation and violence markedly increased in several states, particularly Lagos and Rivers.
Twenty-four states are in, with results officially declared by INEC. The APC has won 15 states, PDP 8, and the NNPP 1.
Abia and Enugu have had their collations postponed due to irregularities. In Abia, INEC officials were held hostage while in Enugu two LGs will have their results reviewed.
In Kebbi and Adamawa, elections have been declared inconclusive over the margin of lead principle. In Kebbi, overvoting and vote cancelling in affected polling units with over 90,000 accredited voters means that the APC and PDP who are in a tight contest will have to wait for a rerun in the affected PUs for a winner to be declared. In Adamawa, a similar story has played out with a possible rerun to take place. A date hasn’t been announced yet.
Overall, the APC has scored 7,772, 802 votes winning in 15 states, the PDP has gathered 5,898,027 votes winning in 8 states, and the NNPP has gathered 1,170,296 votes winning in 1 state. For now, the Labour Party is yet to win although that might change when all results are in. So far, it has recorded 689,725 votes.
8:10 am (Result update)
In a remarkable feat in Zamfara, Lawal Dauda of the PDP wins with 377,726 votes, beating his APC rival and incumbent governor Bello Matawalle Maradun with 311,976 votes.
8:00 am (Result update)
In Taraba state, a hard-fought race saw the PDP’s Kefas Agbu emerge winner with 257,823 votes. The NNPP’s Yahaya Sani put in a solid performance in second scoring 202,277 votes.
11:23 pm (Result update)
INEC has declared Fubara Siminalayi of the PDP as the winner of Rivers State Governorship election, ahead of APC’s Tonye Cole. The PDP polled 302,614 votes ahead of the APC with 95,274 votes. SDP came a distant third with 46,981 votes.
10:00 pm (Result update)
Sani Uba of APC wins the Kaduna State Governorship election. He got 730,002 votes ahead of PDP’s Isa Ashiru who got 719,196 votes.
9:53 pm (Result update)
Twenty-one states are in with results officially declared by INEC. The APC has won 15 states, PDP 5, and the NNPP 1.
Abia and Enugu have had their collations postponed due to irregularities. In Abia, INEC officials were held hostage while in Enugu two LGs will have their results reviewed.
In Kebbi and Adamawa, elections have been declared conclusive over the margin of lead principle. In Kebbi, overvoting and vote cancelling in affected polling units with over 90,000 accredited voters means that the APC and PDP who are in a tight contest will have to wait for a rerun in the affected PUs for a winner to be declared. In Adamawa, a similar story has played out with a possible rerun to take place. A date hasn’t been announced yet.
Three other states, Taraba, Rivers and Zamfara are still being collated. We should have a clearer picture of where things stand by tomorrow.
7:22 pm (Result update)
Babagana Umara of the APC wins 545,542 votes in Borno, defeating his PDP rival, Ali Mohammed who only had 82,147 votes.
6:35 pm (Result update)
APC has emerged victorious with 473,933 votes, while PDP secured 223,913 votes. With a margin of 250,020 votes, it is clear that Benue’s governor-elect, Reverend Father Alia Hyacinth, refused to “show mercy”.
5:15 pm (Result update)
Results are in from the final LGA in Adamawa state, Fufore.
As a reminder, Adamawa is a key race to watch because the APC candidate Senator Aishatu Dahiru is one of this year’s 25 female gubernatorial candidates. The Fufore results show that Senator Dahiru won in this LGA, with a vote margin of 4,368.
However, the total LGA votes show Senator Dihari trailing behind the incumbent, Governor Fintiri (PDP). APC received 390,575 votes in total, while PDP received 421,524.
Pending a formal declaration from INEC, Governor Fintiri is set to become the 9th incumbent governor that was up for re-election to keep his seat.
4:30 pm (Result update)
APC’s Bassey Otu wins majority votes in Cross River state, polling 258,619 votes ahead of the PDP’s 179,636 votes.
4:00 pm (Result update)
With 18 of 27 local governments declared in Borno state, the APC has won all and might be set for victory.
3:40 pm (Result update)
The APC has been declared winner of Niger state. Mohammed Bago polled 469, 896 votes to defeat the PDP’s Liman Kantigi who polled 387,476 votes.
3:20 PM (Result update)
APC’s Francis Nwifuru wins majority votes in Ebonyi state polling 199, 131 votes to defeat Chukwuma Odii of the PDP who got 80,191 votes.
3:00 pm (Result update)
The PDP’s Oborevwori Sheriff Francis has won Delta state’s governorship election with 360,234 votes, ahead of the APC’s Omo – Agege Ovie who polled 240,229 votes. This win means the PDP retains power in the South-South state.
2:50 pm (Result update)
All 17 local government results in the Plateau governorship contest have now been declared. Of those 17, the PDP leads in 10, while the APC have won the other seven.
This means that Mutfwang Caleb Manasseh of the PDP may soon be declared governor-elect by INEC.
Winning in Plateau will be a flip for the PDP, with the outgoing governor Simon Lalong, being of the APC. Lalong also failed to win in his senate contest, losing to Napoleon Bali of the PDP.
1:21pm (Breaking news)
INEC has suspended collation of results in Enugu and Abia states. In Enugu there have been calls for a review of results in two outstanding LGs of Nsukka and Nkanu East. In Abia, Obingwa LG was attacked by thugs on March 19, with INEC officials held hostage.
1:10pm (Result update)
With 20 of 23 local governments declared in the state, the PDP has won in all so far and looks set for victory.
One issue that’s important to highlight is the disruption in voting that happened in Asari-Toru local government on Saturday due to the inability to distribute election materials. The elections in the LG were postponed to Sunday 19th March, but there were further disruptions.
It is not known when or if the voters in that local government will be able to exercise their franchise. Asari-Toru local government lists 89,486 collected PVCs according to INEC figures.
In addition, Tonye Cole’s campaign DG (the APC candidate in Rivers state), Chisom Lennard, was killed in Ahoada-West local government on Saturday while trying to prevent a ballot box from being snatched.
Unsurprisingly, Ahoada-West and Asari-Toru where these incidents have occurred, are the only two local governments that are yet to declare gubernatorial election results at the state collation centres.
1:00pm (Result update)
With 12 of the 13 local governments in Ebonyi State reporting, the APC is leading in 11 LGAs. APGA follows with 2 LGAs, while PDP has claimed victory in 1 LGA.
12:09pm (Result update)
In the 10 out of 16 LGAs declared so far in Taraba state, the PDP currently leads with 6 LGAs, the NNPP is close behind with 3 LGAs, while the APC has just 1.
The impressive performance of the NNPP candidate, Prof. Muhammed Sani Yahaya, is upsetting what many expected to be a two-horse race between the PDP and APC.
Interestingly, the ex-vice chancellor of Taraba state University was formerly in the APC and purchased the party’s governorship nomination form. However, he later renounced his party membership after the primary process due to a “lack of internal democracy”.
Taraba is a state rife with ethnoreligious tension, and Prof. Sani Yahaya is the only major contender who is a Muslim.
With 6 LGAs left to go, If the NNPP candidate emerges victorious, he will be the first Muslim governor in Taraba since 1999.
11:48am (Result update)
APC’s Umaru Mohammed Bago, is leading with 11 LGAs in Niger State, while the PDP’s Liman Isah Kantigi, follows with 3 LGAs.
With 11 LGAs to go, it will be interesting to see whether APC retains its lead or PDP closes in for a tight neck-and-neck race.
10:50am (Result update)
Mohammed Bala Abdulkadir of the PDP wins Bauchi State with 525,280 votes, defeating his rival, Abubakar Sadique Baba of the APC who had 432,272 votes.
10:36 am (Breaking news)
INEC declares Kebbi’s governorship election inconclusive
There’s some drama ongoing in Kebbi’s guber election which was a neck-and-neck race between the APC and PDP.
The state’s collation officer, Yusuf Sa’idu however declared that results are inconclusive. Here’s why.
Why did INEC declare an inconclusive result in Kebbi?
INEC said there was “massive vote cancelling and overvoting” in 20 out of 21 LGs in the state. The last tallied results showed that the APC and PDP had polled 388,258 and 342,980 votes respectively.
“We aggregated the total number of collected PVCs in those polling units (where votes were cancelled) and it came to a total of 91,829. When we looked at the difference, between the two parties, it stands at 45,278.”
Quoting the Electoral Act 2022, Sa’idu said: “Where the number of votes cast in an election in any polling unit exceeds the number of accredited voters in that polling unit, the presiding officer shall cancel the result of the election in that polling unit.”
The Act says that where the result of an election is cancelled, so long the margin of victory is less than the number of accredited voters, there will be no return, that is, no one would be declared elected to that office, until another poll has taken place in the affected polling units.
“By virtue of these provisions and the powers vested in me as the collation and returning officer of the 2023 gubernatorial election in Kebbi State, I, Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, hereby declare the gubernatorial election in Kebbi State inconclusive”, he said.
INEC is yet to announce a new date for the elections.
9:00 am (Result update)
INEC has declared Ahmed Aliyu of the APC as the winner of the governorship election in Sokoto state.
Four years ago, Ahmed Aliyu was the main challenger against Barr. Aminu Tambuwal of the PDP, and lost with a margin of 342 votes. With Tambuwal not on the ballot this time, Ahmed Aliyu emerged victorious with a margin of more than 20,000, defeating the PDP’s Umar Saidu.
8:50 am (Result update)
Yusuf Abba Kabir of the NNPP has won Kano with 1,019,402 votes, with 30 LGAs out of 44. The APC followed with 14 LGAs.
8:49 am (Result update)
In Nasarawa, Sule Audu Alhaji of the APC has been declared winner after polling 347,209 votes to defeat Emmanuel Ombugadu of the PDP who got 283,016 votes.
7:30 am (Result update)
In Adamawa, the PDP’s Ahmad Fintiri, the incumbent, is leading with 13 LGAs and 401,115 votes while the APC’s Senator Aishatu Dahiru follows with 7 LGAs and 365,798 votes.
7:20 am (Result update)
In Kano, the NNPP has won 30 LGAs out of 44, replicating their victory at the presidential elections. The APC follows with 14 LGAs.
7:15 am (Result update)
There is another tight race in Taraba.
The PDP currently leads with 6 LGAs but the NNPP isn’t that far behind with 3 LGAs while the APC has just 1.
With 6 LGAs to go, all three parties have a chance at winning the gubernatorial elections.
7:05 am (Result update)
So far, we have 17 out of 23 LGAs declared in Kaduna. The PDP is in the lead with 9 LGAs but the APC is right behind them with 8 LGAs.
With just 6 LGAs to go, Kaduna looks like it’s going to be a tight race.
10:04pm (Result update)
APC’s Dikko Radda Umaru wins majority votes in Katsina state. The APC secured 859,892 votes ahead of the PDP’s 486,620 votes.
10:00pm (Result update)
18 out of 44 LGAs have declared results. This time around the APC and NNPP are going neck-to-neck, as they both won 4 LGAs each.
In total, so far, the APC has won 7 LGAs while the NNPP has won 11. We still have 26 to go.
8:30 pm (Result update)
APC’s Inuwa Yahaya wins Gombe state with 342,821 votes to defeat the PDP’s Jibrin Barde who polled 233,131 votes.
7:58pm (Result update)
APC’s Mai Mala Buni wins majority votes in Yobe State. The APC polled 317,113 votes, far ahead of the PDP’s 104,259 votes. A win for the incumbent.
7:35pm (Result update)
APC’s Umar Namadi wins majority votes in Jigawa state by some distance. He polled 618,449 votes to defeat the PDP with 368,726 votes.
7:13pm (Result update)
APC’s Abdulrahman Abdulrazak wins majority votes in Kwara State polling 273,424 votes ahead of PDP’s Abdullahi Shuiabu with 155,490 votes.
7:09pm (Result update)
APC’s Dapo Abiodun wins majority votes in Ogun state polling 276,298 votes in a close race over PDP rival Adebutu Oladipupo who polled 262383 votes.
6:43pm (Result update)
The PDP candidate Umo Eno has won in Akwa Ibom State.
This follows a pattern as the PDP has won every election in Akwa Ibom state since 2015, both presidential and gubernatorial.
At the presidential election three weeks ago, the PDP won in Akwa Ibom with 45% of the votes. In 2019 and 2015, the margins were wider at 68% and 94%.
Similarly, at the state level, Umo Eno won 55% of the total votes. His predecessor and the outgoing governor, PDP’s Udom Emmanuel, won in 2015 and 2019 with 75% and 90% of the total votes, respectively.
6:22pm (Result update)
Kano is a key race in this election season because of the tussle between APC and NNPP in the state.
The APC is the incumbent party but NNPP won the presidential election in the state and is hoping to replicate a similar victory in the governorship.
Results are coming from LGA collation and NNPP has won seven LGAs, while APC has won three. These results show that NNPP is in the early lead.
But with only 10 out of 44 LGAs in Kano, we still have 33 to go before the winner is declared.
6:00pm (Result update)
Results are coming in from local government collation in Adamawa state. The 5 LGAs announced so far are Girei, Gombi, Guyuk, Jada, and Shelleng.
The Governorship candidate of the PDP and incumbent Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri has won four LGAs while his main contender, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed of the APC has won one LGA.
Still, with 21 LGAs in Adamawa, we still have 16 to go before the final winner is announced.
5:20 pm: (Result update)
Seyi Makinde, the PDP candidate in Oyo state has been declared the winner of the 2023 gubernatorial race defeating his closest rival Folarin Teslim of the APC, by a distance. This would be Seyi Makinde’s second term as governor of Oyo State. In achieving re-election, Governor Makinde has avoided the electoral fate of three of the G-5 governors who all failed to win their Senate contests.
3:00 pm (Result update)
With only one LG, Eti-Osa left undecided, Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu wins his re-election bid amidst widespread voter intimidation and suppression.
2:00 pm (Result update)
So far, results from 12 out of the 20 Local governments in Lagos State have emerged. The governorship candidate of the APC, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is seeking re-election and has won all twelve of the LGAs announced.
See the breakdown below.
It should be noted that in Ikeja, where the Labour Party won the presidential elections with 30,004 votes to the APC’s 21,276 votes, the APC won the same local government with 32,273 votes to the Labour Party’s 15,174 votes.
1:10 pm (Fact Check)
A media platform, golden news, claimed that thugs snatched ballot boxes in the Ijesha-Tedo neighborhood of Surulere, Lagos, during the state’s governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
The report cited a picture and articles published on the website of Vanguard Newspaper.
Verdict
True
Full Text
A news report purported that there was unrest in Surulere as thugs snatched ballot boxes in Ijesha-Tedo in Lagos and a picture was attached to it.
The report reads, “Thugs went into various polling places in the Ijesha-Tedo neighborhood of Surulere on Saturday to scare voters and steal ballot boxes. This kept people from voting in the Lagos State governorship election.
“The bad guys who stole the ballot boxes had rifles and other hazardous weapons.
“Some Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff from one of the affected polling units 29, on Alhaji Imam Street, were seen moving their leftover materials and tables to the
polling unit 09, which is close to the office of House of Rep member Olatunji Abiola Shoyinka, who represents Surulere Constituency II, on Durodoyen street, Ijesha.
“One of the PDP agents told Vanguard that the thugs were going from polling unit to polling unit, stealing ballot boxes and intimidating people away from the polls with guns.
“Meanwhile, some of the party agents who spoke to the platform lamented the low turn-out of voters in this election compared to that of the March 25, presidential election.
Verification
A Google search by FactcheckElections revealed that the report had been published on the named.
The International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR shared a video on its Twitter handle, confirming violence and that the ballot box was snatched in the area around 2:43pm.
Conclusion
The claim that thugs snatched ballot boxes in the Ijesha-Tedo neighborhood of Surulere, Lagos, during the state’s governorship and State House of Assembly elections is TRUE and therefore, fresh banana.
1:00 pm (Fact Check)
A Twitter user, Chief Ikukuoma @IkukuomaC has claimed that Hon. Chinasa Anthony ‘Abiola’, the lawmaker-elect for Umuahia Central Constituency from Labour Party is a Yoruba man.
Verdict
False.
Verification
FactCheck Elections found an interview granted exclusively to TVC News by the candidate. In the video, Anthony Chinasa was seen denying the ‘Abiola’ name.
According to him, he doesn’t have a Yoruba name, and he is not a Yoruba man as he is just a full-fledged Igbo man from Ibeku. He also blamed his opponent for the attachment of Abiola to his name, adding that he ended up enjoying it because it’s also making way for Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the LP governorship candidate in Lagos.
Conclusion
The claim is false and therefore, burnt dodo. Anthony Chinasa denied the Yoruba name.
12:20 pm (Result update)
In the ongoing collation of results in the Rivers state governorship election, four local governments are reporting.
The PDP has won all four local governments.
12:15 pm (Result update)
In the ongoing collation of results in the Delta State governorship election, four local governments are reporting.
The PDP has won all four local governments.
12:10 pm (Result update)
In the ongoing collation of results in the Oyo State governorship election, at least 18 local governments are reporting out of 33 total LGs.
The PDP has won in 17 of the local governments, while the APC has won in 1 local government: Irepo.
12:05 pm (IReV update)
The focus is on Sokoto, Adamawa, Abia and Rivers states. As of 11 am, here’s the status of the results in these states:
1. Abia – 82.7% of 4,062 polling units
2. Adamawa – 91% of 4,104 polling units
3. Rivers – 73.3% of 6,866 polling units
4. Sokoto – 80.9% of 3,991 polling units
12:00 pm (Result update)
So far, results from 3 out of the 16 Local governments in Kwara state have emerged. The governorship candidate of the APC, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, is seeking re-election and has won all three of the LGAs announced. These LGAs are Ekiti, Isin, and Offa.
10:00 am (ElectHER update)
ElectHER(@electher_ng) deployed trained Observers to 80 polling units across 5 States: Kwara, Kaduna, Ekiti, Delta, and Lagos for the 2023 Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly Elections, with Observers collecting and analyzing various critical data points, including the arrival time of INEC officials, gender distribution among INEC officials, the presence of security officials, and any possible interference with the electoral process.
Information was fed to the team at ElectHER Election Hub through the VEO (Verified Election Observers) Portal on Hernalytics, which disaggregated and analyzed the data sets.
Sign up to @hernalytics today, ElectHER’s just-launched tech platform to share your experience from yesterday’s election either by sharing a general update, reporting an incident, or filling out the Citizen Observation form to share your experience/observation at the Polling Unit.
9:30 am (General update)
According to Stears, 417 candidates are vying for governorship positions in 28 states today, but only 25 (6%) are women. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the global organisation of national parliaments, ranks Nigeria 182nd out of 186 countries for female representation in houses of parliament as of March 2023. Worse, Nigeria lags way behind peer African countries like South Africa (11) and Senegal (14). There’s a small ray of hope, however. In Adamawa state, Aishatu Binani is a contender for governor. If she wins, she’ll become Nigeria’s first elected female governor. Read more about her here.
There are also interesting bits on the age of governorship candidates participating in the 2023 guber elections. While 30 is the minimum required age to contest by law, it may not surprise you that the average age of incumbents seeking reelection is nearly double that, at 58. The average age of contestants overall is 51. The youngest contestants, 20 of them, are 35 years. The oldest, Aofbdulraheem Shuaibu Oba of the NNPP in Kwara state, is 74. Based on the data, the 2023 elections will likely continue the trend of older governors.
Abia is one state to watch out for. At the presidential elections it voted massively for the LP in a landslide that saw the state, which traditionally votes for the PDP, make an unprecedented switch to the LP.
Can it do a double at the governorship election giving the LP inroads in the South East? We wrote a piece explaining everything you need to know about the Abia governorship election.
Benue is a state in the North Central that’s come under the radar. The APC clinched it at the presidential election following a very tight contest with the LP in a close second. Hyacinth Alia, a catholic priest, is the APC’s candidate in the state. It’s one to watch out for.
Lastly, here’s how the states voted in the presidential election.
However, there are indications that some of the states might vote differently from what we saw on February 25. For example, watch out for Rivers and Adamawa. We’ll keep you posted as the results trickle in.
7:00 am (PU update)
Good morning everyone, and welcome to our election tracker page. Elections will continue today in Victoria Garden City, Lagos. This was confirmed last night in a statement by INEC. 8 polling units with over nearly 6,000 voters are eligible to participate in today’s election. Polls open at 8:30 am.
7:30 pm (PU update)
Polls have closed across the country. We’re now awaiting official results.
4.15pm (PU update)
PU 22, Ward 14, Obio Akpor, Rivers State. Undue influence on INEC officials as unidentified persons took the ballot boxes away.
4.01 p.m. (PU update)
Zion Estate off Ogunrun Road, Mowe, Ogun State. APC won the polling unit for the Ogun State House of Assembly with 69 votes and also voted for APC’s Dapo Abiodun’s re-election with 71 votes.
2:43 p.m. (PU update)
Zion Estate off Ogunrun Road, Mowe, Ogun State. Voting has ended. Polling officials are now cancelling out unused ballots.
1:37 p.m. (PU update)
Ward 10, Unit 032, Ifo Constituency 1, Ogun State. A member of the Citizen community complained of party agents touching electoral materials against the law, and bribing gifts to INEC officials and security agents.
1:00 pm (Breaking News)
Incumbent governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, casts his vote in his polling unit at Iwo Road, Oyo State.
11:51 a.m. (PU update)
UPDC estate, Lekki. Voter turnout here seems to be way lower compared to the presidential elections.
11:38 a.m. (Breaking News)
Incumbent governor of Delta State and vice-presidential aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa, votes in Eghoma Primary School, Owa-Alero in Agbor, Delta State.
11:36 a.m. (PU update)
Hotel De Success, off Modern Market Road. LGA: Makurdi, Benue State. There is low voter turnout with only security and INEC officials present.
11:33 am (PU update)
Isawo, Ikorodu, Lagos. Voter phones are being seized by INEC officials.
11:29 am (PU update)
VGC Gate, Lagos. Polling stations in VGC have been moved outside to the gate, without prior notice from INEC.
10:40 am – Fact Check
On March 17, 2023, Nigerian Senator Dino Melaye shared a video on his Twitter account claiming that armed thugs were arrested in Lagos while attempting to disrupt the election process.
So, is this claim true?
FactCheck Elections verified the authenticity of the claim. Here’s what they found:
“Our fact-checking investigation has revealed that the video was not from the current 2023 elections as claimed by the senator. Rather, a video surfaced in 2022, depicting the arrest of armed thugs in Iseyin who were attempting to disrupt the APC Oyo North Senatorial Primaries.
“The misleading video shared by Senator Melaye has gained over 200 thousand views with over 2000 likes and almost 1000 retweets. By sharing a video from a previous year and falsely claiming it’s from the current election, the senator is attempting to paint a picture of chaos and violence in the current election process.
“In our investigation, we found that the video shared by Senator Melaye was not from Lagos, as claimed. Instead, it was from Iseyin, a town in Oyo State, Nigeria. The video shows armed thugs being apprehended by the police, and it is clear that they were attempting to disrupt the primaries of a political party.
“It is important to note that sharing false information to manipulate public opinion violates ethical standards for politicians and journalists alike. This misleading video shared by Senator Melaye is a prime example of such unethical behaviour.”
Verdict: Dino Melaye’s claim is misleading and is cold zobo.
10:23 am (Fact Check)
Did the Labour Party pick a new governorship candidate following a court injunction?
A viral press release circulating on social media claims that the Lagos State Labour Party has reinstated Professor Ifagbemi Awamaridi as the gubernatorial candidate of the party by a court injunction.
The statement implies that the executive of the party has removed Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as the party’s candidate.
So is this claim true?
FactCheck Elections investigated this claim. Here’s what they found:
“We put a call through to the state chairman of the Labour Party in Lagos State, Dayo Ekong. She said the purported press release is fake news spread by the opposition All Progressives Congress.
“She said on the phone: ‘It is fake news from the APC. GRV is the only candidate that we have.’
“Also the Lagos State chapter of the LP, has debunked the news describing it as fake.
“The party, in a press statement signed by the State Secretary, Sam Okpala, said Gbadegbo Rhodes-Vivour is the only valid gubernatorial candidate of the party.”
Verdict: The claim that the LP has a new governorship candidate is false and therefore, burnt dodo.
10.21 a.m. (PU update)
Community Road, Akoka, Lagos. There are signs of low voter turnout.
10.18 a.m. (Breaking News)
Sanwo-Olu arrives polling unit to vote. Gestures to supporters to remain calm.
9.50 a.m. (PU update)
Alara, opposite House 37, Onike Yaba. A National Union leader came to intimidate people. A policewoman chased them away and called the patrol team to arrest the union leader.
9.41 a.m. (PU update)
Police have arrived and collected the canes in Ilaje, Bariga in Lagos State.
9.35 a.m. (PU update)
At a polling unit in Ilaje, Bariga in Lagos State. Canes were brought to threaten voters.
9.34 a.m. (PU update)
RCM primary school Ayeteju, Ibeju-Lekki. Voters are being intimidated from voting other parties.
9.06 a.m. (PU update)
Ijegun, Oke-afa, Jakenda. LGA:Alimosho, Lagos State. They are shooting in the air and telling voters not to vote.
9.05 a.m. (PU update)
NUD primary school, Mowe, Ogun State. INEC officials are here and people are queuing in line. Voting is delayed because they have no tables.
8:58 a.m. (PU update)
Mowe 2, off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State. Polling officers have arrived and set up shop.
8.56 am (PU update from ElectHER)
Dongari Elite L.G.E.A ll, Gambari/ Aiyekale. LGA: Asa, Kwara State. Election is ongoing. BVAS working perfectly. Polling officials satisfactorily discharging their duties. PU looking peaceful.
8:39 a.m. (Breaking News)
Voting Kicks off at Governor Sanwo-Olu’s polling unit, Ward E3, St Stephen’s School, Adeniji Adele, Lagos Island
8.35 a.m. (PU update from ElectHER)
Obaigbena Primary school, Owa 1. LGA: Ika North East, Delta State.
INEC Officials are present and voting commenced exactly at 8:30 a.m. Police presence is also visible.
8:30 a.m. (PU Update)
Alara opposite House 37, PU CODE: 24/15/08/010 LGA: Yaba. Election officials are yet to arrive.
8.28 am (PU update from ElectHer)
Odegiwa LGEA Primary School, Alapa/ Onire/ Odegiwa. LGA: Asa, Kwara. Election has commenced. APO III carried out a brief voters sensitization and questions were raised and answered. PU looking peaceful.
8:25 a.m. (Fact Check)
Is it true that the Labour Party candidate for Surulere Constituency 1, Olumide Oworu was beaten and attacked?
A bloodied picture of Olumide Oworu, the Labour Party (LP) candidate for Surulere LGA 1, in the Lagos house of assembly, has been circulating on social media.
Reports emerged on Thursday indicating that Oworu’s campaign in the Iponri area of Surulere was disrupted by suspected thugs, resulting in one person sustaining an injury.
In an earlier tweet posted on his Twitter handle, Oworu revealed that his team was attacked during their campaign on Tuesday and that the incident had been reported to the Iponri police station.
“My team and I were attacked on Tuesday as we attempted to campaign at Iponri, Surulere. A member of my team was injured, but we are thankful the incident didn’t escalate past the level it was. The case has been reported at the Iponri police station,” the tweet reads.
“I am not deterred by the incident. Instead, I am more committed to seeing this through. We will pass through the wards in constituency 1 (Akinhanmi/Cole, Adeniran/Ogunsanya, Iponri Housing Estate/Eric Moore, Igbaja/Stadium, Shitta/Ogunlana Drive, Yaba/Ojuelegba). See you outside!”
After the attack, a picture of Oworu with blood on him started to spread on social media along with an allegation that he was assaulted by thugs hired by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
A Twitter user Henry ChiNonso #Obident, @ Iguonwu, shared a picture of the LP house of assembly candidate with the caption, “this is Olumide Oworu after he was attacked by Desmond Elliot thugs during his campaign this afternoon at Eric Moore Road in Surulere.
“Olumide Oworu is contesting for the state House of Assembly ticket in Surulere against APC candidate, Desmond Elliot. Reject APC in Lagos state.”
Another user, Chukwunedum Elijah, @David26538313, tweeted that Oworu was attacked by APC thugs.
The Tweet reads, “This is Olumide Oworu, the candidate of the Labour Party for Surulere Lagos State House of Assembly. He is contesting against Desmond Elliot. His team was attacked and they were stabbed, and their belongings snatched in Surulere. So, what is Olumide’s crime? He is a Yoruba.”
Verification
Using Google image search, It’s showed that the picture was shared on social media since 2022 by Oworu.
Further findings by FactCheckElections, also revealed that the photo in question was taken on the set of a movie titled “On The Edge” and was shared on Oworu’s Instagram page on October 3, 2022, with the caption “Alagbado John Wick #OnTheEdge.”
Conclusion
This image is six months old and was published before Oworu declared his intention to contest for office, therefore FactCheckElections can conclude that’ the viral bloodied picture of Olumide Oworu is misleading.
7.55am (PU update from ElectHER)
Agbado/ Oyo primary school, Agbado/Oyo Ward 4. LGA: Ikere, Ekiti State. INEC Officials have arrived and are setting up materials necessary for the voting process. Voting register not posted and voters not on ground yet. There is no presence of police on ground. No assistive materials for PLWD. (People Living With Disabilities).
7.51am (PU update from ElectHER)
Open Space at Obateru Lane. LGA: Ikere, Ekiti State. INEC officials are already present at the unit waiting to start by 8:30am. Names of registered voters have been posted. The election materials are well-positioned. No security personnel on the ground yet.
7.45am (PU update)
Zion Estate, off Ogunrun Road. LG: Mowe, Ogun State. INEC officials are yet to set up materials but voters can be seen receiving numbers ahead of voting. Officials say voting material will arrive between 9–10 a.m.
7.30am (PU update from ElectHER)
NGWAN BAWA TASHA BARDE 2, Sabon Birn. LGA: Lere, Kaduna State. INEC Officials have arrived. Names of accredited voters have not been posted. Voters have started arriving but voting has not commenced. No Police officer in the polling unit.
7.26am (PU update from ElectHER)
Odegiwa Market, Alapa/Onire/Odegiwa. LGA: Asa, Kwara State. INEC Officials have arrived. The names of accredited voters have not been posted. The set-up of INEC material is ongoing and only few voters are around. Also there is presence of an NSCDC officer on ground.
Presidential & National Assembly Elections
Election updates…
Welcome to Zikoko Citizen’s live coverage of the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Verified results from polling units across Nigeria
11:45 am (Election roundup)
The polls for the 2023 presidential election have closed, the winner has been decided and his administration is soon to start. What happens next? We have answered the question for you here.
Thank you for following Zikoko Citizen’s coverage of the 2023 presidential election. We will be back to give you live election updates for the gubernatorial and state assembly election from March 11, 2023, until the polls close across the country.
In the meantime, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. Join our WhatsApp community to read our content, and thoughts (and win prizes), ahead of everyone. Importantly, subscribe to Game of Votes where we will be breaking down everything that happens during the election and after.
See you soon.
4:20am (Breaking News)
Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) has been declared the winner of the 2023 general elections.
1:02 am (Result update)
APC wins Rivers State with 231,591 votes. Labour Party comes second with 175,071 while PDP came third with 88,468. NNPP came last with 1,322 votes.
12:39 am (Result update)
APC wins Borno State with 252,282 votes. PDP attains 190,921 votes, LP gains 7,205 votes while NNPP comes in last with 4,626 votes
12:30 am (Result Update)
PDP wins Taraba State with 189,017 votes. LP comes second with 146,315 votes while APC comes third with 136,165 votes. The NNPP comes in last with 12,818 votes.
10:19 pm (Result update)
Obi wins Anambra State with 584,621 votes. This was followed by the PDP with 9,036 votes, APC with 5,111 votes and NNPP with 1,967 votes.
5:40 pm (Result update)
Atiku wins Bauchi with 426,607 votes, ahead of BAT with 316,694 votes and Kwankwaso with 72,103 votes.
5:30 pm (Result update)
BAT wins Kogi with 240,751 votes ahead of Atiku with 145,104 votes and Obi with 56,217 votes.
5:20 pm (Result update)
Another state in the bag for Peter Obi as the LP wins Abia convincingly with 327,095 votes, ahead of the PDP with 22,676 votes and the APC with 8,914 votes.
5:15 pm (Result update)
Win for LP in Edo where the party got 331,163 votes ahead of the APC with 144,471 votes and the PDP with 89,585 votes.
5:10 pm (Result update)
Atiku scores win in Akwa Ibom polling 214,012 votes. APC in second with 160,620 votes and LP in third with 132,683 votes.
5:00 pm (Result update)
LP wins big in the FCT. 281,717 votes, ahead of the APC with 90,902 votes and the PDP with 74,194 votes.
4:50 pm (Result update)
Results are in from Niger state where the APC has polled 375,183 votes to win the state, ahead of PDP with 284,898 votes and the LP with 80,452 votes
3:48pm (Breaking News)
The APC Special Adviser on Strategic Media and Communications, Dele Alake, has declared that Tinubu should “prepare to take the trophy” as Nigeria’s next president.
He also claims that Tinubu is in good health, Obi is a fluke and Atiku is a serial loser, saying the APC is confident in INEC and looking forward to the final result announcements.
3:26pm (Result update)
Peter Obi of the Labour Party won Delta State with 341,866 votes. PDP came second with 161,600 votes and APC came last with 90,183 votes.
2:54pm (Result update)
Peter Obi of the Labour Party won in Ebonyi State with 259,738 votes in his favour. APC came in second with 42,402 votes and PDP secured 13,503 of votes cast in the state.
1:58pm (Result update)
Obi of the Labour Party got 352,904 votes in Imo State, representing 78% of the total 450,655 votes cast.
The APC came second, achieving 66,171 votes or 15%. The PDP came third with only 30,044 or 7% of votes.
1:15pm (Result update)
So far, we have 9.04 million declared and 6.2 million undeclared provisional results available across parties, roughly 15.2 million votes in total.
Interestingly, the APC and PDP’s undeclared provisional results make up 41% and 45% of their declared results while LP and NNPP’s provisional results are 127% and 417% of their declared results.
1:00 pm (Breaking)
The Labour Party, the People’s Democratic Party and the African Democratic Congress are holding a joint press conference calling the elections a “sham”. They say the election conducted on Saturday was “irretrievably compromised” and have “lost faith in INEC”. They’re calling for INEC chair, Mahmood Yakubu to step down, the cancellation of the elections and a fresh one to be conducted. Watch here.
12:50 pm (Result update)
Labour Party’s Peter Obi secured 466,272, 44% of total 1.1 million votes in Plateau state, emerging winner.
The results for APC’s Tinubu and PDP’s Atiku show they come second and third place. They secured 307,195 (29%) and 243,808 (23%) votes respectively.
11:15 am (Result update)
The Labour Party has won with a landslide in the Federal Capital Territory, winning 62% of the votes cast.
Both the APC (20.1%) and PDP (16.4%) got less than 25% of the votes. In 2019, the PDP won the FCT convincingly with 61% of the vote, to the APC’s 36% share of the votes.
11:10 am (Result update)
BAT clinches Zamfara state with a strong showing. APC with 298,396 votes to PDP’s 193,978 votes.
11:00 am (Result update)
Another state, Sokoto, is in the bag for Atiku who barely scaled through with 288,679 votes, ahead of BAT with 285,444 votes.
10:50am (Result update)
Peter Obi won Cross River State with 179,917 votes, with the APC in second place with 130,520 votes. The PDP placed third with 95,425 votes.
10:34 am (Result update)
Atiku Abubakar’s PDP has won Bayelsa State. One of Nigeria’s smallest states by voting population, it delivered 68,818 votes for the PDP. The LP came second with 49,975 votes while the APC finished third with 42, 572 votes.
10:05 am (Fact check)
Was THAT viral invitation card issued by the Lagos state government?
An invitation card purportedly from the Lagos State government has been circulating on social media.
According to the card, the event said to be organised by Chief Dr. Chidi Anyaegbu, the executive chairman of Chisco group of companies and Mr Allen Onyema, chairman/CEO of Air Peace — is a dinner and one-on-one interaction with the executive governor of Lagos state Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Igbo captains of industry.
However, FactCheck Elections looked into the authenticity of the invitation card. Here’s what they found:
“The viral invitation letter has been dismissed by the media aides of the Lagos State governor. The Senior Special Assistant to the governor on New Media, Jubril Gawat posted the invitation letter and tagged it fake news.”
Similarly, the Chief Press Secretary to governor Sanwo-Olu, Gboyega Akosile also posted the invitation card with the tag fake news and captioned it “Kindly disregard this fakery flying around.”
Based on these, we can conclude that this invitation card didn’t come from the Lagos state government and is therefore, burnt dodo.
10:00 am (Result update)
Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP wins Kano state by some distance with 997,279 votes ahead of the APC with 517,341 votes and the PDP with 131,716 votes.
10:40 pm (Result update)
Of the 14 states declared so far, BAT has 25% in 13 states, Atiku has 25% in 9 states and Obi has managed 25% in 3 states. This result puts the APC in the clear lead for now. INEC has said it will resume the collation of results by 11 am tomorrow.
10:07 pm (Result update)
The final results from Nasarawa state show that LP won 35% of the total 540,566 votes cast in the state. The APC came in at a close second with 32%.
9:57pm (Result update)
The final results from Jigawa state show that APC won with 421,390 or 46% of the total 920,531 votes cast in the state. The PDP came in at a close second with 386,587 votes.
9:00 pm (EU update)
Statement on the Nigerian elections from the Chief Observer, EU Election Observation Mission, Barry Andrews. According to Mr Andrews, the election was rife with abuse of incumbency and widespread allegations of vote buying.
4:23 pm (Result update)
In Katsina state, PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar, has polled 489,085 votes to beat Bola Tinubu of the APC, who placed second with 482,283 votes. Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP placed third with 69,368 votes.
4:16 pm (Result update)
Tinubu wins the presidential race in Oyo state with 449,884 votes out of 809,485 total votes cast. In second place is Atiku with 182,977 votes, while Obi comes third with 99,110 votes.
4:13 pm (Result update)
With 428,640 votes, Peter Obi won the presidential race in Enugu state, defeating Atiku Abubakar of PDP and Bola Tinubu of APC, who earned 15,749 and 4,772 votes respectively
3:30 pm (Fact check)
Did thugs abduct INEC officials and their equipment in Edo state?
A viral video claimed that INEC officials along with their BVAS equipment were abducted in Edo state during the February 2023 general elections.
In the video, a woman can be heard saying, ” they went away with the INEC officials and the BVAS. As you can see, there are ballot papers but no INEC officials nor BVAS and there is nothing.
“This is Isiuwa ward 38 in Ovia NorthEast. The PDP people have taken everything. They came with boys to fight with people.”
So, did this happen?
FactCheck Elections contacted journalists covering the elections in Edo to verify the claim. Here’s what they found:
“The journalist on the field who was present during the February 2023 general elections in Edo state, said it was true that INEC officials and their equipment were abducted during the elections.
“The video is true. And not only that, but there were also reports of violence in 5 different polling units that I can confirm.”
Based on this information, we can conclude that the claim made in the viral video about the INEC officials being abducted along with their equipment is true. The claim gets a fresh banana rating from us. However, FactCheck Election could not confirm if the perpetrators were members of the PDP.
2:05 pm (Fact check)
Was a PDP supporter shot dead in Ondo state?
A Legit.ng report claimed that a supporter of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Akinlabi Akinnaso was shot dead at a ward collation centre in Idanre Local Government, Ondo state.
So is this true?
FactCheck Elections looked into this claim. Here’s what they found:
“According to Legit, “witnesses said the deceased was involved in a scuffle with armed personnel shortly before the winner of the House of Representatives election, Hon. Festus Akingbaso (FessyWest), was presented with the election result sheet.”
“The deceased was allegedly killed on Sunday, 26th February, 2023, by a security personnel at the INEC collation centre, Owena Ayetoro, Idanre, Ondo state.
“We reached out to sources closer to the incident’s environment who confirmed the allegations. PUNCH Newspaper had earlier reported that there was a case of death in the Idanre local government area at the collation centre. It was also gathered that the deceased, Akinlabi Akinnaso, popularly known as Oluomo, was allegedly killed by the security agents guarding the electoral commission’s office.”
This claim that Akinlabi Akinnaso “Oluomo” was shot dead in the Idanre Local Government area of Ondo State, is sadly true and therefore, fresh banana.
2:00 pm (Fact Check)
Is there a petition calling for the INEC chair’s visa to be revoked?
A trending WhatsApp broadcast has been circulating calling on the UK, USA and Canada to cancel the visa of the INEC chair, Mahmood Yakubu. So is this BC true?
FactCheck Elections looked into this BC. Here’s what they found:
“To independently verify the claim, we put a call through to two members of the Change.org team who confirmed that the petition truly emanated from their platform but against popular view, it did not represent the organisation.
“The petition was submitted by a registered user on their platform. As at press time, the petition has garnered 126, 584 signatures.”
The broadcast is true and therefore, fresh banana. However, the petition was not started by change.org but was started by a user osusu 1k.
1:10 pm (INEC Updates)
INEC Chairman says that collation across states in Nigeria will resume at 2pm
12:59 pm (Result Updates)
Atiku of the PDP wins in Osun State with 354,366 votes out of 756,744 total votes cast. In second place, Tinubu records 343,945 votes, while Obi of the LP comes third with 23,283 votes.
12:35 pm (Result updates)
PDP’s Atiku Abubakar has won in Yobe State with 198,567 votes, ahead of APC’s Bola Tinubu with 151,459 votes. Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP placed third with 18,270 votes.
12:27 pm (Fact Check)
Was a corp member beaten to death by an angry mob in Abuja?
Sahara Reporters claimed in a news report that an angry mob in Abuja beat a corp member to death for thumbprinting ballot papers for the APC.
FactCheck Elections checked this claim. Here’s what they found:
“We investigated the claim made by Sahara Reporters, we found out that the federal capital territory (FCT) police command has dismissed the claim.
In a statement on Sunday, Josephine Adeh, the FCT police spokesperson said the mob attacked the officer and corps member for fear of being disenfranchised after officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) arrived at the polling unit late adding that the corps member was not murdered as alleged.
“The FCT Police Command wishes to set the records straight concerning misinformation and disinformation on social media alleging that a Police Officer was caught with thumb-printed ballot papers,” the statement reads.
“This is not the fact as the Officer was only assisting Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Staff to salvage electoral materials after they were attacked by electorates at the polling unit.
“The incident which occurred at Polling Unit 009, Lugbe Local Education Authority (LEA) began when the officials of the INEC arrived the Polling Unit with incomplete electoral materials which aggravated the electorates who resorted to attacking the officials and destroying the materials alleging an attempt at disenfranchisement.”
“The officers, in an attempt to prevent the officials from being mobbed and the materials destroyed, assisted in moving some of the items, to the annoyance of the electorates who poured their anger on the officers as well as the officials.
“It is equally pertinent to state that the corp member who was attacked in the video was shielded and taken to safety by the Divisional Police Officer and his men from the Lugbe Divisional Headquarters. He was not murdered as alleged in trending news.”
This claim by Sahara Reporters is false and therefore, burnt dodo.
12:25 (Fact Check)
Is it true that Ekiti state election results were uploaded on February 20?
A spokesperson of the Obi-Datti presidential campaign council of the Labour Party, Kenneth Okonkwo, has propagated the claim that the presidential election result from Ekiti state had been uploaded since February 20.
FactCheck Elections checked this claim. Here’s what they found:
“Our checks revealed that the screenshot is not authentic. The presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday, 25th February, 2023, five days after the said screenshot shows that the Ekiti state results were uploaded on the INEC server.
“However, the collation centre for Ekiti State opened Sunday, the 26th for the counting of votes cast during the previous day elections. While uploading of results from polling units started dropping on the INEC server on Saturday, the Ekiti State returning officer presented the presidential results for the state on Sunday evening.
“Our analysis of the INEC result viewing portal shows that the portal gives registered people the access to check the results according to local governments as they are being uploaded in real time and the uploading began on Saturday, 25th and not 20th of February as claimed.”
The claim is false and therefore, burnt dodo.
11:32am (Result update)
Peter Obi comes in first place ahead of Tinubu in Lagos State. The LP candidate received 582,454 votes and the APC candidate received 572,606.
10:52am (Result update)
18 out of 20 LGA results have been declared in Lagos State. The new addition is Alimosho LGA. Peter Obi won this LGA ahead of Tinubu.
10:41 am (Result update)
APC wins in Ondo State with 369,924 out of 571,402 valid votes. PDP and LP come second and third with 115,163 and 47,353 votes respectively.
10:36am (Result update)
In Kwara State, Tinubu won 263,572 votes, ahead of Atiku with 136,909 votes, Obi with 31,166 and Kwankwaso with 3,141.
10:00am (Result update)
APC wins in Ogun State with 341,554 out of 580,124 valid votes. PDP and LP come second and third with 123,831 and 85,829 votes respectively.
9:55am (Result Updates)
Results from the Presidential race in 11 LGAs from Gombe indicate that the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar sweeps the state as his rivals trail behind.
Atiku polled 319,123 ahead of Tinubu 146,977, Obi 26,160 and Kwankwaso 10,520.
9:50am (Result update)
We now have results for 17 out of 20 LGAs for Lagos State. The race is tight between APC’s Bola Tinubu and LP’s Peter Obi.
The APC is ahead with 460,184 votes, out of the total 994,831 votes cast across the 17 LGAs reporting in Lagos. LP got 443,008 votes and PDP is a distant third with 60,324 votes.
17 out of 20 LGAs completed for Lagos and the race is tight between APC’s Bola Tinubu and LP’s Peter Obi.
The APC is ahead with 460,184 votes, out of the total 994,831 votes cast across the 17 LGAs reporting in Lagos. LP got 443,008 votes and PDP is a distant third with 60,324 votes.
10:20 pm (Result update)
Results are in from Tsanyawa LGA, Kano state: APC 14,052 votes, LP 89 votes, NNPP 14,468 votes, PDP 1,721 votes.
9:41 pm (Result update)
Results from Agege LGA are in: APC 29,585 votes, LP 13, 270 votes, NNPP 1,513 votes, PDP 4,490 votes.
9:00 pm (Result update)
Results are in from Badagry LGA. APC 31,903 votes, LP 10,956 votes, NNPP 153 votes, PDP 6,024 votes.
8:59 pm (Result update)
Results from Ikeja LGA are in: APC 21,276 votes, LP 30,004 votes, NNPP 337 votes, PDP 2,280 votes.
7:25 pm (Result update)
Results are in from Epe LGA. APC, 19,867 votes, LP, 3,497 votes, NNPP, 77 votes, PDP, 5,221 votes.
7:03 pm (INEC update)
Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC leads Ekiti State by 201,494 votes. This was closely followed by Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar with 89,554 votes, Labour’s Party Peter Obi with 11,397 votes and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP with 264 votes.
6:50 pm (Result update)
Results from Lagos Mainland LG are in. APC 20,030 votes, LP 18,698 votes, PDP 3,005 votes, NNP 257 votes.
6:19 pm (INEC update)
INEC has just issued a press release acknowledging challenges with uploading results to its results viewing portal, IReV.
6:15 pm (Result update)
Latest results put Bola Tinubu of the APC in a commanding lead. However, things are far from over. Results from powerhouses like Lagos, Rivers and Kaduna and many other states are yet to be tallied.
2:45 pm (Fact check)
Has the Labour Party won the 2023 election by a landslide?
Journalist, David Hundeyin, tweeted on February 25 that the Labour Party has won the election by a landslide.
FactCheck Elections, checked the claim. Here’s what they found:
“We can independently confirm that INEC has postponed elections in 141 polling units in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State — and Edo state.
“Besides, the Electoral Act (2022) states that the winner of the presidential election will be subjected to the provisions of section 134 of the Nigerian Constitution.
“Section 134, subsection 2, of the 1999 Constitution states: “A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election-he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”
“Results from the three K states – Kano, Katsina and Kaduna – have not emerged. Many people believe the votes from these states could turn the waves of elections for any candidate that amassed the largest votes from the three northern states.”
Results are yet to be collated from several states of the federation. INEC is the only body empowered by law to declare a winner. Based on all these, it’s too early to say conclusively that the election has been won by a landslide. The claim is misleading and therefore, cold zobo.
2:30 pm (Result Update)
Results from the first LG in Kano are now available. In Ajingi LG in Kano South Senatorial district, The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) whose flagbearer is Rabiu Kwankwaso has come out top with 16,798 votes. In second place, the APC had 7,066 votes while the PDP came third with 1540 votes.
2:00 pm (INEC update)
Following a brief statement opening the national collation centre, the INEC chair, Mahmood Yakubu has said proceedings will reconvene later today, February 26, by 6pm.
1:56 pm (Results)
Early results put Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the lead. Already, Ekiti state results have been tallied where the APC polled the highest number of votes with 201,486 votes. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) came second, with 89,554 votes while the Labour Party (LP) placed third with 11,397 votes.
As it stands, only the APC and PDP have met the 25% requirement in Ekiti state. Ekiti is one of Nigeria’s smallest states in terms of registered voters. Other results are filtering in from Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Kogi, Kwara and Edo, among other states.
10:00 am (Fact check)
On February 25, 2023, Rinu Oduala, an activist and supporter of the Labour Party, claimed there is massive rigging on INEC’s server.
FactCheck elections checked this claim. Here’s what they found:
“Our findings show that the claim is not true. While the correct INEC result portal was shared in one of the pictures distributed by this activist, we understand that it was to mislead the public. The video verification run revealed that the alleged manipulation was not carried out on the INEC result portal; instead we found that it was a phishing website URL – bc7r.ondigitalocean.app
“Meanwhile, we also traced the gmail address that appeared in one of the videos shared but the user is yet to respond to our query.
“As at press time, the tweet already garnered 871K views, 12.1K retweets and 10.3K likes.”
Verdict: This claim is false and therefore, burnt dodo.
10:00 pm (PU result update)
Open space at Osborne Foreshore Phase 2, Ikoyi PU CODE.
8:11 pm (PU result update)
PU: Araromi Junction, Lagos state
LG: Lagos Mainland
Presidential election result:
8:09 pm (PU result update)
PU: Tse Kajo, Benue state
LG: Kwande
Presidential election result:
8:07 pm (PU result update)
PU: Open Space, T Junction, Rivers state
LG: Obio/Akpor
Presidential election result:
8:05 pm (PU result update)
PU: Library Board, Borno state
LG: Gwoza
Presidential election result
8:04 pm: (PU result update)
PU: Mulankawa Primary School, Jigawa state
LG: Ringim
Presidential election result:
8:02 pm (PU result update)
PU: Umuehelete, Enugu state
LG: Igbo Etiti
Presidential election result:
8:01 pm (PU result update)
PU: Gidan Isiyaka III, Kano state
LG: Gwale
Presidential election result:
7:59 pm (PU result update)
PU: Oremeji Street, Lagos state
LG: Mushin
Presidential election result
7:58 pm (PU result update)
PU: Open Space, Etutu-Ekpe, Kogi state
LG: Dekina
Presidential election result
7:57 pm (PU result update)
PU: Adenrele street, Lagos state
LG: Alimosho
Presidential election result
7:56 pm (PU result update)
PU: Lion of Judah, Lagos state
LG: Alimosho
Presidential election result
7:53 pm (PU result update)
PU: Morofolu Street, Lagos state
LG: Somolu
Presidential election result
7:51 pm (PU result update)
PU: Iyagbughie – Izuagie, Edo state
LG: Etsako West
Presidential election result
7:48 pm (PU result update)
PU: Comm School, Igbaja, Kwara state.
LG: Ifelodun
Presidential election result:
7:46 pm (PU result update)
PU: Ado Gwaram Secondary School, Kano state.
LG: Tarauni
Presidential election result:
7:42 pm (PU result update)
PU: Anwarle Islam, Kano state
LG: Dala
Presidential election result:
7:40 pm (PU result update)
PU: Junction of Caroline Odu, Lagos state
LG: Oshodi/Isolo
Presidential election result:
7:38 pm (PU result update)
Polling Unit: Baimana Primary School, Jigawa state
LG: Birnin Kudu
Presidential election result:
7:36 pm (PU result update)
Polling unit: LNG Musa, Kaduna state
LG: Jema’a
Presidential Election
Result:
7:33 pm (PU result update)
Polling unit: Main gate, community hall, Main Toby, Rivers state
LG: Opobo/Nkoro
Presidential Election
Result:
7:32 pm (PU result update)
Polling Unit: Junction of Kola Ashimi Street, Lagos state
LG: Kosofe. Presidential, Federal Constituency and Senatorial Election.
5:30 pm (PU result update)
Polling Unit: SPS In Field, Rivers state
LG: Tai, Presidential Election
Result:
5:17 pm (PU result update)
Polling Unit Name: G.S.T.C Gombe, Gombe state
LG: Gombe, Presidential Election
Results:
5:16 pm (PU result update)
Polling Unit Name: Aduwan II/ L.E.A Primary School, Kaduna state
LG: Zangon Kataf Senatorial District Election
Results:
5:15 pm (PU result update)
Polling Unit Name: Oyelakin Balogun community primary school, Sanyo Ibadan, Oyo state.
LG: Ibadan South East. There are three polling Units here. PU 36, 37 and 38.
Results:
5:10 pm (PU Update)
Polling Unit Name: Open Space by Kingdom Hall, Rumuokwuta, Rivers state.
LG: Obio/Akpor Presidential, Federal Constituency and Senatorial Election.
Results:
2:15 pm (PU Update)
Protests at a polling unit in Sangotedo, Lagos. Voters are angry because INEC officials are yet to show up for the polls.
1:56 pm (PU Update)
An agitated crowd at Upper Sakponba, Benin, turns on an individual over alleged vote-buying.
12:59 p.m. (PU Update)
- Low voter turnout at the open space at Osborne Foreshore Phase 2, Ikoyi PU CODE: 24-08-09-039.
- “120 people on the waiting list at my polling unit, out of 469 people registered at this PU.
12:50 pm (PU Update)
Reports of violence reported in parts of Lagos. In Ebute Metta, Lagos, there has been a disruption of voting at the PU in 254 Borno Way, by thugs.
11:42 am (PU update)
Inec officials are just arriving at Oba Elegushi, Eti-Osa LGA, Lagos
11:20 am (PU update)
Security officials arrest Nigerians wandering around Ojota/Maryland part of Lagos state around 11.20 a.m.
11:18 am (PU Update)
“Polling materials haven’t arrived at polling booths in Osapa London, Lekki.”
11:10 am (Fact-check)
A viral video online appears to show Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, withdrawing from the 2023 presidential race in support of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. FactCheck Elections have checked this claim and discovered it’s false and therefore, burnt dodo. Here’s what they found:
“We analyzed the video using Deepware, an AI video scanner and found that it was a doctored clip from 2019. The video was created by taking clips of Peter Obi’s past speeches and rearranging to create the false impression that he has withdrawn from the race.
“We checked Peter Obi’s official page as well as some members of his campaign team but found no evidence backing the claim. We also reached out to independent sources, including electoral officials and political analysts currently on the field who confirmed that there is no truth to the claim as well.
“We also reached out to independent sources, including electoral officials and political analysts currently on the field, who confirmed that there is no truth to the claim made in the video. They emphasized that Peter Obi is a legitimate candidate for the presidency and has not withdrawn from the race.”
10:17 am (Fact-check)
Social media has been agog with the claim that the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello excavated a road leading to the district of a candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in Kogi Central.
FactCheck Elections checked the claim and found it to be true and therefore, fresh banana. A quick search online shows news reports by TheCable and Channels TV have confirmed this. The Kogi government’s reaction to the allegation is that the road excavation was a deliberate security measure, spurred by a December explosion in the community as well as recent attacks by gunmen.
10:14 am (PU Update)
10:08 am (PU Update)
Bayelsa
“They changed the venue of our polling unit (small trekking). After some search, we found it and they’re now setting up. We’ve queued already.”
10:05 am (PU Update)
Voters at Surulere PU 005.
9:56 am (PU Update)
Voters at Awo Hall, University of Ibadan.
9:51 am (PU Update)
PU: Kerang Town, Kerang Ward, Mangu LGA, Plateau state.
“INEC officials have arrived and accreditation has begun. I’ve checked my name on the voters register.
Hoping for the best.”
9:42 am (PU Update)
Oyelakin Balogun community primary school, Sanyo Ibadan. LG: Ibadan South East. INEC officials arriving for election duty.
9:40am (PU Update)
Reports coming in from Ekwulobia Ward 1 in Aguata Local Government Area Anambra state, say that INEC officials are yet to arrive at the polling unit.
“Help, came to my polling unit and there’s no one here. Maybe it was changed and I’m not aware. Tried using the INEC locator but it’s not working. Someone who knows how to locate it should please help me out.”
9:26am (PU Update)
Opposite Victory Estate, inside Thomas Estate, Ajah.
“INEC officials arrived late but set up is complete. However, we are yet to begin.”
9:19 am (PU Update)
Surulere, Lagos.
“The officials are here.”
9:18 am (PU Update)
Voting is underway at Chief Olora’s comp. ii, Ado-Ekiti LGA, Ekiti state (PU Code: 13-01-09-007).
9:16 am (PU Update)
Accreditation has started at Oyediran Street, Bode Thomas, Surulere PU: 24-20-09-005.
9:06 am (PU Update)
Voting is about to commence at Immaculate Comprehensive School, Maryland. INEC officials are currently explaining voting procedures to voters.
9:04 am (PU Update)
PU name: Nsukka health centre, Owerre Nsukka, Enugu state.
“They have given numbers and accreditation is about to begin.”
9:00 am (PU Update)
Voting materials are arriving at Bode Thomas street, Surulere.
8:35 am (PU Update)
PU name: Ojodu Grammar School 1, Ikeja local government
“There are about 3 polling centres here but nothing is going on yet. They’ve not pasted names. My polling unit gave numbers so we can vote according to that number.”
8:24 am (Fact-check)
Can you confirm your polling unit by sending your details to the shortcode 8014?
A viral WhatsApp post has been making the rounds asking people to send the nine-digit polling code of their PVC to 8014 to confirm their polling units. Fact-checkers, Dubawa checked this claim and found it to be false and therefore, burnt dodo. The INEC spokesperson has debunked this claim and said the message didn’t originate from the commission.
If you need help determining where your polling unit is, click the link here to confirm or follow the prompt in the screenshot below.
8:00 am (PU Update)
Polling Unit Name: Oyelakin Balogun community primary school, Sanyo Ibadan. LG: Ibadan South East. “There are three polling Units here. PU 36, 37 and 38.”
7:44 am (Fact-check)
A few hours to the commencement of the polls, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) once again came out to debunk rumours that you can vote without your PVC. For the avoidance of doubt, this is absolutely false. The INEC chair, Yakubu Mohammed has made it clear that no PVC, no voting.
“Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides “A person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding Officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.
“So nobody can vote without the Permanent Voters Card. The position of the law is therefore clear and PVC remains a mandatory requirement for voting.”
7:35 am
Citizen is partnering with FactCheck Elections to debunk fake news that may be peddled on election day. We rate claims into three categories. A true claim is fresh banana, a false claim is burnt dodo and a misleading claim is cold zobo. Read more on that here.
7:30 am
It’s D-day guys. Polls have opened across the country. Get out your PVCs and head to your polling units.
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