By Joy Odor
The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakuku has affirmed that the collation of Presidential and National Assembly will be postponed till Monday, 27th February at 11: am.
According to him, the prostponment is sequel to the inability of most of States to conclude their voting exercises and submit their collated results.
“I will like to invite you at midday tomorrow (Monday) for the official opening of the National Conference Centre for the 2023 general elections.
“We hope that by tomorrow, we expect to have some of the election results coming from states, particularly for the presidential election.
“So, the collation centre for the presidential election will open midday tomorrow.
“here won’t be need to address Nigerians before Monday, except if there was need to do so” he said.
Meanwhile, Ekiti State result has been announced by the Returning Officer, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila Orangun, Osun State, Professor Akeem Lasisi.
He said only two Wards results was cancelled due to bypassing of BVAS and over voting.
Results which was presented by INEC REC for Ekiti state Professor Abayomi Salami announced that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the winner of the Saturday’s presidential election in Ekiti State.
According to him, the APC polled 201,494 votes to win the state, while, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) garnered 89,654 votes to come second and former Anambra State Governor and candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Gregory Obi, recorded 11,397 votes to come third.
Prof. Lasisi said that there were 987,647 registered voters in Ekiti State, with 315,058 registrants that collected their permanent voters cards (PVCs).
“The total votes cast was 314,472; valid votes was 308,171 and rejected votes was 6,301 votes,” he said.
He also said 1,786 votes were cancelled in two local governments of Ado Ekiti and Ekiti-east due to bypass of the BVAS and over voting.
However, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, called for observation and questions which the PDP National collation agent, Senator Dino Melaye, seek clarification on what BVAS bypass means.
Prof. Lasisi however, replied that it means that the numbers of casted votes was more than than those registered in the BVAS.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu then urged Senator Melaye to publicly announced his satisfaction for the public to hear him, for which he (Melaye) did.
Prof. Yakubu, also asked if there were more states to submit their results, to which there was none.
