Nigerians Elect New Governors Amid Violence and Evident Mishaps

New governors have been elected for 28 of Nigeria’s 36 states as political opposition continues to deny victory to President-elect Bola Tinubu, who is affiliated with the ruling Progressive Congress Party.

As of Saturday night, ballots were being tallied at most polling stations across the country, though winners in most states are not expected to be announced until Monday.

In some places, including the city of Lagos, voting has been postponed amid fears of attacks on election officials.

According to the Center for Democracy and Development, which has deployed more than 1,200 election monitors, electoral violence was most widespread in the southern region.

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Local monitoring group YIAGA Africa said it found several instances where voters were intimidated and prevented from voting unless they agreed to vote for specific political parties.

Among the places on the list is Lagos state, where the president-elect’s party is trying to retain government. The Congress of all progressives lost its statehood in last month’s presidential and general elections.

“Security services must respond quickly to reports of voter intimidation and attacks on polling stations to allow citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote,” said Samson Etudu, executive director of YIAGA Africa, in a statement.

Allegations of vote-buying were also widespread. In Enugu, voters were intimidated into receiving less than 200 naira (43 cents), according to Chidima Igwe, who voted in the state.