World Tour: Elections in Nigeria

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: We begin today’s roundup here in Nigeria, where voters anxiously await the final results from weekend elections.

Tens of millions of people turned out nationwide to cast their vote on who will replace Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and members of parliament.

The top presidential contenders include Bola Ahmed Tinubu from Buhari’s ruling party … and one-time vice president Atiku Abubakar from the opposing Peoples Democratic Party. In a historic first, Peter Obi from the Labor Party has mounted a third-party challenge.

With official results declared in 15 out of 36 states… Tinubu had a steady lead, with Abubakar and Obi trailing behind

During the weekend poll, voters complained that electoral officials arrived late. Some of the biometric voter identification machines used to prevent fraud did not work. A delay in uploading results online also sparked fears of election rigging.

At one polling unit in Lagos state, voters scattered when gunmen opened fire and snatched the ballot box.

Cynthia Mbamalu is the program director for Yiaga Africa, an election monitoring body.

MBAMALU: We also have the responsibility to hold the electoral commission to account for these irregularities that we have observed.

Some opposition parties are now calling for the vote to be scrapped… describing the process as a sham. If one candidate can’t secure at least a quarter of the votes in two-thirds of the states…the top candidates will go to run-off elections.

Next, to Italy

At least 63 migrants have died after their wooden boat crashed off Italy’s southern coast early on Sunday. At least eight of the dead were children.

More than 170 people were on board when the boat collided with the reefs in the rough waters. Rescue workers said about 80 people survived…as they continued to search for more survivors by sea and air.

Matteo Piantedosi is Italy’s interior Minister.

He says here that the sea conditions made it impossible for rescue workers to get close to the ship.

The boat departed from Turkey carrying migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Iran. Italian authorities arrested one of the survivors for suspected migrant trafficking.

Italy says nearly 14,000 migrants have arrived in the country by sea so far this year, an increase of more than 5,000 from last February.

Next, to Mexico.

Tens of thousands of protesters dressed in pink and white crowded Mexico City’s main plaza on Sunday.

They are protesting changes to the electoral law.

The revisions would reduce the size and budget of the independent National Electoral Institute, and also reduce sanctions for candidates who fail to report campaign spending.

Opponents say the changes threaten democracy.

This protester says she came out to ask for respect for the rule of law and for the electoral institute.

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has said he expects legal challenges but will still sign the changes into law.

Papua New Guinea — We wrap up today in Papua New Guinea.

Authorities there are tracking down about 20 gunmen who kidnapped four hostages in a remote part of the South Pacific Island nation.

An archeologist from an Australian university was conducting fieldwork at Mount Bosavi with three locals when they were taken about a week ago.

The gunmen released one of the Papua New Guinea nationals earlier.

Authorities said they secured the others’ freedom without paying the requested ransom of $993,000.

David Manning is the Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner. He confirmed that officials negotiated with the abductors.

MANNING: This does not negate, the results of today does not negate the criminality that was involved that has taken place throughout this ordeal and we're very much committed to ensuring that those who are responsible are held to account.

Kidnap for ransom is uncommon on the island nation of about 9 million people.

That’s it for this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

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