By: Olakunle Maruf – Sokoto
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State has rejected the results of the just concluded presidential election, citing the disenfranchisement of over 400,000 persons in the state.
The party also called on the security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police Force in the state to immediately arrest suspected hoodlums who attack polling units in the state during the just conducted presidential election in the state.
Recalled that the collation officer for the presidential election in the state, Prof Kabiru Bala, had early on Tuesday morning, announced the candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, as the winner of the state with total votes of 288,679 ahead of the APC who scored 285,444 votes.
The chairman of the party in the state, Bello Aliyu Gonronyo, while addressing newsmen at the Press Centre, Sokoto on Tuesday, condemned in totality the security arrangements put in place during the election.
Speaking on the position of the party concerning the recently released election results, the chairman said the party in the state is in support of the decision taken by its leaders at the national level about the ongoing collation of results.
He said the party rejects the results of the presidential election as declared by Independent National Electoral Commission in the state for the disenfranchisement of over 300,000 persons in the state.
“The just conducted presidential and parliamentary elections was a clear example of how some people do not wish the state good.
“The fallout of such unprovoked violence and disruption of electoral process by well-armed sponsored thugs had led to cancellation of over 300 polling units across Sokoto State resulting in the disenfranchisement of over 400,000 eligible voters from participating genuinely in the election.
“However, we wish to reiterate that our administration has an obligation to protect lives and property of its people including the voting populace from undue harassment from any quarters”
The chairman however called on law enforcement agencies in the state to live up to their constitutional mandate of guaranteeing peace and order in both the re-run and governorship elections in a few days to come.
He further advised INEC to urgently fine-tune the re-run election in all the affected polling units so as not to disenfranchise anybody.
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