JUST IN: INEC to proceed with supplementary election in Bauchi – Official

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will proceed with supplementary elections in Bauchi State on Saturday.

The commission says a court order barring it from collating and announcing results only applied to Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area in Bauchi.

The result of Tafawa Balewa local government was not announced after the March 9 governorship election because the result sheet was initially torn by thugs.

Although the INEC official at the local government later collated the result on a separate result sheet, it was rejected at the state collation centre. INEC said it has since generated the results from the various polling units and wards in the local government and was set to announce it.

However, the All Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate, Mohammed Abubakar, secured a court injunction barring INEC from proceeding to announce the result of the local government. INEC has since said it will obey the court order.

On Thursday, INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, said supplementary elections earlier scheduled for Saturday will continue in other parts of Bauchi were elections were cancelled or did not hold.

The commission also said it has taken steps to vacate the court order on Tafawa Balewa local government.

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bala Mohammed, was leading the APC candidate before the Bauchi election was declared inconclusive.

More details soon…