Uncertainty As INEC Suspends Results Collation In Kano

 

There is uncertainty surrounding yesterday’s Kano State supplementary governorship election after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suspended the collation of results following a disruption of the process by hoodlums.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Riskuwa Shehu, announced the suspension of collation early this morning citing the invasion of Nasarawa Local government collation centre by thugs.

Briefing journalists, observers and party representatives at the State INEC office, Shehu said: “As we were waiting to reconvene with the intention to continue with the collation, we heard a disturbing report that just as they were about to conclude, results collation in Nasarawa local government were disrupted and the result sheet torn away and there was a lot of commotion and the police had to rescue some people.

“As it is now, we don’t have the result and even the E. O. (Electoral Officer) had to be rescued. Luckily, nothing happened to him. He was saved from the crisis

“But the intention of the commission is that we are going to refer to our primary and secondary data of results that were collated from the polling units as well as the ward level.

“When we get the results in the presence of all the representatives of political parties, we will regenerate the results and we will confirm those that are acceptable within our laws and guidelines and those that have to be cancelled because the card readers will have to be referred to as well.

“Based on that, we will have genuine results and we will complete the collation for the state governorship election,” he said.

Early results from the areas in which the re-run election was held in Kano State showed that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of the APC and Abba Kabir-Yusuf of the PDP were running each other close.

Yesterday’s election held in 208 polling units in 29 local governments with 128,831 voters.

The PDP candidate had polled 1,014,474 votes during the first election, while the APC scored 987,819 votes, leaving a difference of 26,655 votes.

PDP Urges INEC To Declare Its Candidate Winner In Kano

Meanwhile, the opposition PDP has called on INEC to immediately declare its candidate, Abba K. Yusuf, winner of the Kano State governorship election, as he had scored the highest number of lawful votes and secured the statutory 25 per cent in two-thirds of the state.

The party insisted, in a statement yesterday, that no valid polling held on the March 23 Kano supplementary elections and therefore no figures can be fabricated from the exercise to displace Abba Yusuf’s leading margin of over 26, 000 votes.

According to the statement signed by the PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, “INEC is already aware that its supplementary election in Kano was completely disrupted by thugs contracted by the APC, who invaded polling units and chased away voters. The commission therefore cannot accept fabricated figures being bandied by the APC as results from the scuttled rerun.

“The people of Kano State have since made up their minds to have Abba Yusuf as their governor and any attempt by anybody to subvert their will, as already expressed in the March 9 substantive poll, will surely attract the legitimate anger of the masses.

“We therefore call on INEC to immediately do the needful by respecting the will of the people as freely expressed on March 9 and announce Abba Yusuf, the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, as the winner of the election, having fulfilled the demands of Section 179 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” the party said.

Also, national leadership of the PDP has backed the demands on the IINEC to cancel the March 23 Kano State Supplementary election following the disruption of polls and bloodletting by the APC.

The PDP, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said all material facts on the supplementary election in Kano State showed that rampaging APC thugs violently took over polling units, attacked and chased away voters and engaged in massive thumb-printing and ballot stuffing for the APC.

The statement added, “INEC is already aware that the Police arrested the Kano State Commissioner for Special Duties, Muktar Yakasai, alongside APC thugs he led to disrupt election in Yelwa in Dala Local Government area of the state.

“Also INEC is already aware of how APC thugs attacked voters in polling units in Gama area of Kano state during which four PDP members were feared killed and many more injured before they carted away ballot boxes for stuffing for the APC,” the statement alleged.

The PDP further cautioned INEC to note that in this circumstance, any results they come out with from this “convoluted electoral process will be a sham and will surely be rejected by the people of Kano State.

“It is completely reprehensible that the APC and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje would resort to violence and bloodletting as a means to attempt to hold on to power after they have been rejected by the people,” the party added.

Collation Officer Shot In Benue

It was a tragic experience for a local government collation officer for Gboko Local Government Area, Comfort Dooshima, as she was shot by unknown gunmen in Makurdi, the Benue State.

Ms Doshima, a professor and lecturer at the University of Agriculture, was on her way to the INEC headquarters, Makurdi, to present results from the local government.

She was rushed to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital.

Benue is one of five states where supplementary governorship elections were held on Saturday. The others are Sokoto, Plateau, Bauchi and Kano.

LEADERSHIP Sunday reports that Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP was cruising to victory from the results so far collated.

Results of the supplementary governorship poll in Benue State announced so far indicated that the incumbent governor, Samuel Ortom, was leading in the 16 out of the 22 local governments affected.

Of the 16 local governments so far announced, the PDP candidate had polled a total of 11,166 to beat his closest opponent, APC’s Emmanuel Jime who scored a total of 6,420 votes. Results from six local government were pending.

LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that out of the 23 local governments of the state, the supplementary governorship polls were to be held in 22 LGs and nine for state House of Assembly seats.

In the first round of the election held on Saturday, March 9, 2019, Ortom had polled 410,576 votes against Jime’s 329,022 votes, leading the later with a margin of 81,554 votes.

The election was however declared inconclusive and yesterday was fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the conclusion of supplementary elections.

Gun Attack On Inec Officers In Makurdi

Meanwhile, unknown gunmen were reported to have attacked the convoy of INEC personnel returning to Makurdi collation centre from Gboko local government after the governorship and state assembly supplementary polls.

The attack, according to the Resident Commissioner, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, took place in Tarka local government where he said the Gboko local government collation officer for the governorship election, Professor Comfort Tuleun was hit by bullets. According to him, the victim is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

While condemning the dastardly act, Dr Yilwatda called on security agencies to work round the clock to apprehend the miscreants.

Also, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC)for Benue, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, has confirmed the attack on the commission’s convoy on Gboko-Makurdi road by unknown gunmen on Saturday night.

Yilwatda told Journalists in the early hours of Sunday at the INEC headquarters Makurdi, that the Returning Officer for the Governorship supplementary polls in Gboko, Prof. Comfort Tuleun was hit by a bullet during the attack.

”At about 8:30pm this evening an attack was launched on a convoy of INEC personnel returning to Makurdi Collation Centre from Gboko LGA after the close of the Governorship and State Assembly Supplementary polls by unknown gunmen.

”In the course of the attack on the convoy including INEC permanent and ad hoc staff as well as security agencies at Tarka LGA, Prof. Comfort Tuleun, the Gboko LGA Collation Officer for the governorship election was hit by bullets and she is currently receiving treatment.

”The wounded collation officer is from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM).

”INEC regrets this unfortunate incident and calls on security agencies to work tirelessly to apprehend these miscreants and bring them to judgment.

”Meanwhile, as a result of this incident, the commission has no choice but to appoint Dr Joseph Mom of FUAM to replace the wounded official.”