Pipo of Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa state don decide who go govern dem for di next four years.
Victor Ezeama and Helen Oyibo
We welcome una back to our coverage of di off-cycle election wey dey happun for Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa states.
Di election wey start yesterday still dey go on
Collation of results don start for di elections today and make una tanda wit us as we continue di coverage of di elections.
Na here we go march break for now for our live coverage of di govnorship elections wey dey happun off season for Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi state.
Up next na for Inec to begin call di results of di election, local goment by local goment.
We go come back once dat action start.
Una bye-bye for now!
Di voting and counting process don end for Kogi state, North Central Nigeria.
Voting start for Lokoja di state capital for some polling units around 8:00am on Saturday morning 11 November, 2023.
Tension bin dey for di capital early mor-mor sake.of di security pipo wey no allow pipo waka anyhow, but tins later calm down.
Di turnout of voters dey generally fair. Young and elderly women come out well-well to vote.
To make sure say katakata no dey, security presence full evriwia amd voters confam say di voting process go well.
However, tori of violence, vote buying, and oda allegations dey.
But Head of Voter Education for Inec Kogi state, Haliru Haruna Sule, tell BBC Pidgin say, "We hear about di allegations of vote buying, arrest of one local goment area chairman wey carry money and ammunition.
We also hear complain of result sheets wey dem don already fill. We dey investigate dis tori dem to know weda na true."
Oga Haliru add say dem fit announce result on Monday or Tuesday, pending wen all results from local goment areas land dia office.
Earlier, security agencies use trucks block road to stop inter-state waka. Even tori pipo wey get accreditation tag turn back sake of say security agencies no allow anybody cross.
Many polling units for Yenaoga LGA bin don set up ready and by 8:30am na im voting start as accreditation of voters with di Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) go smoothly.
Bayelsa State Govnor, Sen. Douye Diri cast im vote by 8:40am for unit 4 ward 6 Sampou community for Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA. Di All Progressives Congress APC govnorship candidate, Timipre Sylva also cast im vote for Polling Unit 4 Dukuraku Central Open Space Ward 4, Okpoama Brass LGA as well as di Labour Party candidate, Udengs Eradiri wey cast im vote for Ward 10, Unit 5 Ekperi Amarata, Yenagoa.
Security wise, di election go relatively peaceful except for report of shooting for Famgbe community, Yenago LGA wey two pipo get gunshots injury.
Commissioner of Police Bayelsa State, Kolade Alausa say e deploy additional officers to calm di area even as di two victims dey receive treatment for federal medical centre FMC Yenagoa and police dey investigate am.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan as e cast im vote for Otuoke Ogbia LGA say di off-season elections for Nigeria no too good and time don reach for National Assembly to address am.
Election Observer Sylvester Okoduwa of di Transition Monitoring Group, a domestic election observer with Inec say dem observe much vote buying and selling for many areas despite di poor turn out of voters.
Collation of results dey go on for many collation centres across di state as di election process don dey reach declaration of results wey go happun for di state collation centre for Inec state headquarters for Yenagoa.
Voting, vote sorting and counting don end for Imo State for di Saturday govnorship election.
Di atmosphere dey calm for morning before voting start and heavy presence of security personnel bin dey for strategic locations for di state capital, Owerri.
Roads wey dey around di state house for Owerri experience more heavy presence of security personnel before voting start and na only vehicles wey belong to officials of di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) and tori pipo di security personnel allow to pass.
Many polling units wey BBC Pidgin visit experience low voter turnout sotay Inec officials tire say dem no see work do.
One of di voters wey follow BBC Pidgin tok, Ifeanyichukwu Iwu say, Imo pipo dey vex say light and water no dey for di state and na why some of dem no come out to vote.
According to Iwu, di heavy security presence dey fear di pipo instead of giving dem confidence to come out and vote.
E say for di last govnorship election for di state, na ova 300 pipo dey queue to vote for im polling unit for Ikenegbu Girls Secondary School I.
Residents bin shun voting for one polling unit wey BBC Pidgin visit as many pipo dey fetch water opposite di polling unit. Di election dey peaceful for Owerri before, during and afta voting.
Di tok-tok pesin for di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) for Imo State, Godslight Maryanne, tok say dem go begin collation as soon as results start coming in from different local goment areas of di state. One of di election observers for di state, Faith Nwadishi, tell BBC Pidgin say wetin dem don observe so far na voter apathy and peaceful atmosphere.
Di observer wey come from Transparency Advocacy say dem observe say pipo no too come out to vote sake of some reasons.
Di PDP govnorship candidate for di state, Samuel Anyanwu, say im hear gunshot for im polling unit for Amaimo Central School for Ikeduru Local Government Area.
E tok say any wia wey violence dey for di election, make Inec ensure say di votes no count
Di Independent National Electoral Commission, Inec, say dia supervisory presiding officer, SPO, wey dem kidnap a day before election don regain im freedom for Bayelsa.
For Friday night, informate bin circulate say dem kidnap one Inec official wey suppose dey in charge of election supervision for Bayelsa state.
Inec head of voter education and publicity for Bayelsa Wilfred Ifogah on Saturday evening tok say di SPO don regain freedom and im dey fine.
“Di commission bin wish to thank all those wey act and show concern to ensure di safe release and return of di officer,” Inec add for dia statement.
Wia dis foto come from, BYGH Press
Bayelsa State Govnor, Senator Douye Diri, don condemn wetin e say na di action of some pipo for Bassambiri community for Nembe local goment area wia dem no allow members and supporters of di Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to enter di community to vote.
Senator Diri tok dis one afta e cast im vote at 8:40am along with im wife, Dr Gloria Diri, for Kalama-owei Wari Unit 4 Ward 6 Sampou community in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA.
E say di party don write to di Chairman of di Independent National Electoral Commission, Inec, to take action. Di govnor also express concern over di hijack of sensitive election materials for ward 6 in Sagbama LGA and commend Inec for di prompt action dem take.
“We get concern for Nembe-Bassambiri wia dem stop our party members from going into dia community. Our party don write an official letter to INEC chairman to ensure say our pipo dey allowed to go in and vote. Wetin we dey call for na free and fair process wia dem use di BVAS. Dem need to give special attention to Nembe-Bassambiri becos evrtin points to di fact say dem pursue PDP members out of di community." E tok.
Govnor Diri say di Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) make di voting process fast and seamless.
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Di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) don react to di allegations of electoral mago-mago wey dey comot from Kogi state against dia officials.
Di commission tok ontop dia Twitter page say dem don hear di report say voters discover some results sheet wey dem don already fill for some polling units for Kogi state.
Di commission say dem dey look di situation seriously and dem don already deploy electoral officials to investigate di mata.
Sound of gunshots for Amaimo central school, Ikeduru local gomentarea.
E no clear who dey shoot di gun, weda na jaguda pipo or security operatives for di polling unit for Imo state.
One Election Observer wey dey monitor di off-cycle Governorship Election for Bayelsa State say vote buying an sellig dey go on.
Sylvester Okoduwa from di Transition Monitoring Group na one of di domestic election observers wit Inec and e tell BBC Pidgin say dem observe low viger turn for si governorship polls and dia e say na sake of high voter apathy.
"One tin wey dey very clear na say di level of votes buying and selling dey very high. Dem dey do am openly. Though I no wan indict di security to say dem no dey aware but dis votes buying and selling wey dey happen now no good for dis election wey dey take place for Bayelsa State," e tok
Di PDP Govnorship candidate for Kogi state Dino Melaye don allege election mago-mago for di election wey dey happun for di state.
Melaye say make Inec cancel di election for five local goment areas for Kogi Central.
Oga Melaye tok inside one video for im Twitter page say Inec officials dey coordinate di electoral mago-mago wey dey hapuun for Okene, Okehi, Ajaokuta, Adavi, and Ogori/Mangogo.
Melaye also tell voters make dem protect dia votes and resist electoral officers wey wan do magomago.
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Na only one pesin don come out to vote as at 12pm for St. Luke’s Referral Hospital, Owerri, Imo State, despite say na just four registered voters di polling unit get.
Officials of di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) and di police dey on ground for di polling unit but notin dey shele for dia.
Dis polling unit also reflect di low voter turn out for parts of di state capital.
According to Inec official guidelines, voting suppose end by 2:30pm except for areas wia something happun
Imo State govnor and candidate of di All Progressives Congress for di state gubernatorial election, govnor Hope Uzodinma, don commend di voters turnout for di ongoing election.
Govnor Uzodinma for im polling unit for Omuma, Oru East Local Government Area laud di residents of di state say dem come out to vote.
E also express satisfaction wit di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) for di conduct of di election.
However, BBC News Pidgin observe say low voters turnout dey for parts of Owerri, di state capital.
As voting dey go on for Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states, Imo residents no turn up for di election as dem dey find water for dia daily use.
Dis na becos water don become scarce commodity for Owerri, di state capital sake of di strike wey di state chapter of di National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) bin declare afta di attack di National President of di Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero for di state recently.
Plenty pipo for di state dey rely on dia borehole for potable water, but many of dem no fit pump water sake of lack of light wey don pass more dan seven days now.
BBC wey dey on ground for di state see plenty queue wey dey wait to fetch water from one bore hotel wey one hote; dey operate.
"One (25 litre) jerrycan of water (wey bin dey cost between N10 and N20) now dey cost N50 and I spend at least N1000 daily to get enough water for my household," one lady wey tok say her name na Eunice tok.
She beg members of di organised Labour to pity di masses wey dey suffer sake of dis strike.
Anoda man wey dey para and no even fit tok im name dey wonder wen im go get water, come still get time to go im polling unit to vote.
"It's almost ten o'clock now," e tok for anger. "I' neva even baff, Wen I go get enough water for my family and still fit vote? And besides, wetin be di benefit of dis voting to us as a pipo all these years?" e ask.
Goment neva tok anytin about di water scarcity. However, for inside one recent interview on Channels TV, di Imo state govnor, Hope Uzodinma tok say im no get any problem wit di labour unions for di state.
E say im don implement di national minimum wage, and dey pay im workers and pensioners regularly.
However, if federal workers for di state dey vex for any reason, im no fit dey responsible for dat.
Di 'Nigeria Labour Congress and 'Trade Union Congress' don begin indefinite strike for Imo state, while a nationwide strike go start next week Tuesday, 14 November, 2023.
Commissioner of Police Bayelsa State CP Kolade Alausa don confam di gbege wey happen for Famgbe community, Yenagoa local goment area wia gunshot reach two pesins.
CP Alausa tell BBC Pidgin say di two pesins dey receive treatment for federal medical centre FMC Yenagoa and e don send officers to di area.
E add say e advise di gunshot victims to make formal report of di incident so dem go begin proper investigation.
Meanwhile, calm dey restored to di area as election dey go on. E advise Bayelsans to conduct demsefs peacefully
Sake of di incident wey happen for one area for Sagbama LGA of Bayelsa State wia some jaguda pipo pipo kidnap di supervisory presiding officer assigned to Registration area 06 Ossioma for Sagbama LGA, election fit no hold dia.
According to di Inec National Commissioner in charge of Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bayelsa State, May Agbamuche-Mbu, di jaguda pipo carry di election materials wey dem for use conduct di election along wit di SPO so notin for dem to take conduct di election.
“We no get any materials to take conduct di election and wia dia us disruption of di process we know wetin we have to do.”
Madam Agbamuche-Mbu say she bin dey with di SPO few minutes before di incident happen but express hope say dem yo release her soon.
“I bin dey wit her up to 45minutes before dem kidnap her but dem tell me say she dey well and we dey hope say dem go release her shortly.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner of a police Bayelsa State Kolade Alausa wonder why di SPO no travel wit di security officers wey suppose escort di election officials and materials to dia respective areas.
“We dey make efforts to know why di electoral officer go alone. Dis na becos na decision of all di security commanders here and INEC say no Inec official go move without security so I wonder how dat lady move without security.
Di CP add say e don deploy some special teams to go look for her and dem still dey search with di hope say dem go soon rescue her.
Security agencies use trucks block roads to restrict movement and travels to oda Local Goment Areas and States.
BBC crew bin wan visit nearby Local Goment Area Obajana to chook eye for wetin dey happun dia but security personnel say " We purposely use truck block di road to avoid interstate travels"
