Former Ghanaian President and Chairman of ECOWAS election observer mission for the Nigerian elections, John Agyekum Kufuor yesterday held a parley with the Nigerian leader Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on the electoral process, the final results of which were yet to be announced as at press time.
President Kufuor led other international observer teams into the meeting held at the presidential Villa, Aso rock, Abuja, behind closed doors.
There has been uneasy calm about the outcome of the polls, with two sides claiming victory over the Saturday elections.
Even though 14 candidates contested for the presidential polls, the race has been narrowed down to between former military leader, General Muhammadu Buhari of the Alliance for Progressive Congress (APC) and President Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the two are running neck-to-neck in the few officially sanctioned results released last night.
Some outrageous results were being churned out from the PDP stronghold in eastern and southern Nigeria, polling for instance over 1.4 million votes in River States, the home state of Jonathan’s wife, Patience; while vice-president Namadi Sambo’s home state of Kaduna gave Buhari 1.12 million votes.
Those at the crucial meeting aside Mr. Kufuor were former Liberian President Amos Sawyer, who heads the African Union (AU) Election Observer Mission; former Malawian President and Head of Commonwealth Election Observer Mission, Bakili Muluzi as well as the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Ambassador Aisha Laraba Abdullahi.
The meeting took off around 3.30pm with Vice President Namadi Sambo and some aides of Jonathan present.
The President may have been prevailed upon to promote peace whatever the outcome of the polls, following unpalatable comments coming from his camp.
The team is expected to meet the opposition leader, General Buhari, who arrived in Abuja yesterday from his Katsina home.
Official results
The collated results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) gave the opposition APC victory in four states, with PDP pocketing three states.
The official announcement confirmed victory for the APC in Ogun, Osun, Kogi and Oyo states and Abuja.
APC polled 308,290 as against the PDP’s 207, 950 in Ogun; APC 383,603 – PDP 249, 929 (Osun); APC 264,851 – PDP 149, 987 (Kogi); APC 528, 620 – PDP 303,376 (Oyo) states.
The ruling PDP won with 176,466 as against the APC’s 120,331 in Ekiti State; PDP had 553, 003 and APC 141,507 in Enugu; PDP 273, 477 and APC 236,838 in Nasarawa; PDP 157195, APC 146,399 in FCT Abuja.
INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega announced the close of the session, and hinted that collated results from 15 States were still on their way to their headquarters.
There are strong expectations that the final result will be out by close of work today.
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