Niger presidential election: Nigeriens vote in Sokoto, Kano, Abuja, Kaduna, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Katsina
The Sokoto State polling centre for Republic of Niger’s presidential and legislative elections on Sunday closed by 7 p.m., according to Mr Boubacar Namata, an official of the Nigerien National Electoral Commission (CENI) overseeing the poll in the North-West state.
Due to a special arrangement with the Nigerian government, Nigeriens in Nigeria were allowed to vote in Sokoto, Kano, Abuja, Kaduna, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Katsina “at special centres”.
Officials of Nigeriens Electoral Commission were also deployed from Niger Republic to supervise the voting in Nigeria.
Namata declared in Sokoto that the election went on peacefully.
“The polling centre opened at 8.45 a.m. and closed by 7 p.m., while counting commenced thereafter according to our electoral procedures,” the CENI official said.
Voting was done smoothly, with high voter turnout, including women.
Also observed were a myriad of plain-clothed and uniformed Nigerian security agents keeping vigil at the centre.
Another official of Niger Electoral Commission, Salisu Mohammed, said on Sunday in Abuja said that his country’s Presidential and Parliamentary voting in Nigeria had been generally peaceful.
Salisu who spoke at the Nigerien Embassy in Abuja, said that the Diaspora voters conducted themselves in accordance with the law.
He expressed satisfaction over the general turnout of the voters, adding that “290 out of the 540 registered voters in Abuja have voted so far. We are waiting the rest’’.
Salisu also said the election had been devoid of any form of insecurity, adding that there were enough election materials that could go round the Diaspora electorate.
Among the voters were youths and the aged who were on queue eagerly waiting to cast their votes for the Presidential and Parliamentary candidates of their choice.
Few security personnel and sniffer dogs were positioned close to the embassy to forestall any breach of law and order.
The Nigerien Diaspora election was conducted in seven centres across Nigeria.
Mallam Muhammad Dari, chairman of the Borno Association of Nigeriens resident in Nigeria, says the activities of insurgency in the area is responsible for the absence of voting unit in the state.
Dari said in Maiduguri that an estimated 4,000 Nigeriens were resident in the state.
“When we were told that elections will hold in about seven centres in Nigeria, we were thinking that Borno will be one of them.
“But we later discovered that the officials have decided to avoid the state due to Boko Haram activities,”he said.
He, however, said that he has hope of a peaceful election in all the seven centres.
Dari said that the association was hopeful that it will take part in the next election after the restoration of peace in the state.
In Gombe State, Nigeriens resident in the North-East state called on whoever emerged president of the country, to sustain the collaborative effort in the fight against insurgents.
Speaking on Sunday in Gombe, they said that the progress of Niger Republic, Nigeria and other neighboring countries depended on restoration of peace to the region.
They also admonished losers in Sunday’s general elections in the country, to exhibit spirit of good sportsmanship in defeat, while urging winners to be magnanimous in victory.
A Nigerien, Bala Buzu, said whoever would be elected president, should join hands with Nigeria and other countries in the fight against insurgent.
According to him, a lot of people in Niger, Nigeria and other countries are suffering as a result of the activities of insurgents.
He also called on the elected president to appreciate the contributions of Nigeriens in diaspora, particularly those in Nigeria
Malam Muhammadu Hassan also said that there was the need to intensify the fight against insurgents
He called on successful candidates to carry everybody along, irrespective of political differences for the progress of the country.
“We are praying for peaceful and success election in our country Niger and we are urging the elected president to lead with the fear of God,” he said.
He advised the people in the country to also support who ever emerged winner to enable him implement government policies.
Malam Inusa Abdullahi lamented that Gombe was not one of the designated voting centres, adding that a lot of Nigeriens in the town could not travel to Kano to vote.
Nigerien citizens living in Bauchi expressed optimism that Sunday’s general elections in their country would reflect the wishes of the electorate.
Some of them, who spoke in Bauchi on Sunday, said they were satisfied with the arrangement made by their country’s electoral body.
They were particularly pleased with the opportunity given to Nigeriens in diaspora, to exercise their franchise.
They, however, said the number of vehicles provided to enable them travel to designated states to cast their votes, were inadequate.
One of them, Abubakar Mohammed, said six vehicles were provided in Bauchi for them to travel to Kano, the nearest voting centre, as such only few of them could make it.
Abdullahi Mohammed, a tea and bread seller of Nigerien origin seen busy attending to his customers on the Election Day, said that he could not afford to use his meagre resources to travel to Kano just to cast his vote.
“”After all, there is no guarantee that my vote will matter at the end of the day,” he said when reminded that his vote was paramount in deciding a credible leader for his country.
Another Nigerien, Lawalli Ahmadu, a butcher, who was also seen selling beef at a time others were casting their votes, said Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Sokoto, Abuja and Katsina were the designated voting centres in Nigeria.
“I could not travel to cast my vote but instead, resolved to pray for a hitch-free election. I think my prayers for God to help us choose a credible leader is more important than my single vote,” he said.
Ahmadu’s son son, Mubarak Lawalli, who had just clocked 18, said he would have been glad to vote for the first time, but had to stay back in Bauchi to assist his father in preparing and selling meat to customers.
Hajiya Zainab Tari, woman leader of Nigerien women in Nigeria expressed concern over the low turnout of women at the election in Kano centre.
Tari made the observation in Kano on Sunday.
She said that despite the public enlightenment campaign carried out by the women leaders, the turnout of women at the election centre was discouraging.
“We took time to enlighten our women in Kano, but they refused to come out. This is very disturbing, considering the importance of this election,’’ she said.
According to her, the association had dispatched about 10 vehicles to various local government areas of the state with a view to conveying the women to the election venues.
“We are also making effort to contact them through their mobile phones as part of effort to ensure that they come and cast their votes.
“We also paid registration fees for over 1,700 of our members, all in an effort to ensure that women participate in the election process,’’ she said.
According to her, the reduction in the number of days for the registration of voters contributed to the problem.
“The registration period was reduced to four days instead of 10 days and this affected the registration of women,”she said.
Also speaking, Hajiya Marysm Mussa-Illela, Woman Leader in Nasarawa Local Government, attributed the low turnout of women to lack of information and education.
She said no fewer than 800 women registered in the area but very few were able to come out as at the time of filling this report around 12:50pm.
Most of the voters were males as only few women were seen at the election centres.
