In Aso Rock, everybody turns mathematician

Olalekan Adetayo.

The result of the presidential elections held across the country on Saturday has revealed one hidden talent in many members of staff of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

It was interesting on Monday when many of the workers in the seat of power, including journalists, suddenly became mathematicians.

This hidden gift was revealed as the collation and release of the presidential elections’ result got underway. The event, which was held inside the International Conference Centre, Abuja was aired live on national televisions.

Workers were seen glued to the various television screens located in strategic places and offices in the Villa. Some who had the time also armed themselves with pens and pieces of paper which they used to jot the figures as well as the parties.

Immediately the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, announced that they would be going on break, these workers and journalists trooped out from where they were watching the event.

They formed different groups at various spots on the corridor. They had one thing in common: they wanted to know how President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) of the All Progressives Congress faired in the results so far released.

When they could not lay their hands on calculators, they resorted to punching hard on their cell phones to get the additions done.

In one of such gatherings, after they had arrived at the total number of votes scored by each of the two leading candidates, somebody raised the issue of the constitutional requirement of 25 per cent spread by anybody that will emerge the winner. That issue necessitated another round of calculation.

At the end of the exercise, opinions were divided. While some held the view that Jonathan should be preparing his handover note, some others said, “Miracle can still happen.”

Except when Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo hosted some foreign observers who monitored the Saturday’s election, there was no official activity in the Villa on Monday. That gave the workers the opportunity to be engrossed in the process which was expected to lead to the announcement of the person who will be occupying the highest office in the land from May 29.

Jonathan and Sambo also did not come to their offices early. They must have been observing developments from their official residences. Jonathan was dressed casually for the meeting with the foreign observers. He was clad in trousers, an Ijaw shirt, a cap and a pair of leather slippers.

Indeed, the Presidential Villa and Nigeria as a whole are awaiting this much-important announcement.