Taiwo Amodu
The ruling All Progressives Congress has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission, ( INEC) declaration of Governor Bala Mohammed as the winner of the Bauchi state governorship election.
According to the results announced by the Commission, Bala Mohammed earned a fresh mandate, defeating his closest rival, former Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar and APC candidate.
The sitting Governor won in 15 local governments out of the 20 in the North East state while the APC candidate won in 5.
But in a statement signed by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the APC alleged widespread violence, overvoting and massive rigging in many local government councils.
It also alleged that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation (BVAS) was compromised. It listed 6 LGAs where the process was fraught with electoral fraud.
It further alleged, “extensive cancellations of polling units results in APC Candidate’s strongholds were made without valid justification, except to depress his vote count and give undue advantage to the PDP candidate, the incumbent Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed.”
It demanded the cancellation of the results in Alkaleri, Kirfi, Toro, Warji, Ningi and Zaki Local Government Areas of Bauchi State.
The statement read in part: “With indisputable cases of over-voting, massive electoral fraud, thuggery, harassment, intimidation, and widespread despicable violence that marred the Bauchi State Governorship election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) calls stridently on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expeditiously investigate reports that its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was compromised in many voting units and cancel invented results of affected polling units in the state.
“Specifically, in Alkaleri, Kirfi, Toro, Warji, Ningi and Zaki Local Government Areas of Bauchi State which recorded widespread violence, overvoting and massive rigging against the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Rtd.), it is perplexing that inexplicable massive figures were invented in polling units in which voting didn’t take place, and in which results were never collated.
“Extensive cancellations of polling units results in APC Candidate’s strongholds were made without valid justification, except to depress his vote count and give undue advantage to the PDP candidate, the incumbent Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed.
“Specifically in Alkaleri LGA, APC polling units’ Agents were chased away by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs who took control of affected polling units and thumb-printed ballot papers without BVAS accreditation, and results were gratuitously awarded and written up without voting, as mandated by law.
The bogus “result” in the same Alkaleri LGA with recorded and verifiable over-voting, and in which INEC’s returning officer was molested and threatened at gunpoint to sign the “result” sheet was irregularly collated and used in the declaration of the final result of the election in the state.
“In one of the many brazen cases recorded by polling unit agents, a reportedly serving PDP Commissioner in the state was captured buying votes in the open and full glare of cameras, citizens, and assisted by security officials that bore a constitutional duty to arrest and take the criminal into custody for further investigation and prosecution.
“The APC rejects the invented election figures and INEC’s declaration of the Governor-elect in Bauchi State and calls on INEC to cancel the election in the afore-mentioned LGAs that were characterized by over-voting, destruction of electoral materials, harassment, intimidation, and widespread violence and other irregularities in line with its power to review the declaration of the result within 7 days under Section 65 of the Electoral Act. “
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