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Tag: SOKOTO

  • Rerun polls: Tambuwal, Aliyu, Ganduje,Yusuf, others locked in fierce battle

    After the March 9 governorship elections across the country, the polls in six states – Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto – were declared inconclusive. In this analysis, Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI who has been monitoring the situation writes on how the elections in five states will be fought and won. In Adamawa, the governorship rerun is on hold following a court order; the supplementary poll holds today only in two constituencies for state assembly.

    THE two major parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) resorted to a war of words when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the recent governorship elections in six states inconclusive and announced later that it would conduct supplementary polls in five of the affected states today. The governorship rerun will not hold today in Adamawa because of a court order barring INEC. It will, however, hold in two constituencies for the state assembly.

    Both conventional and social media are awash with last ditch efforts by the affected parties to get an upper hand in today’s supplementary elections. The two parties have been busy with fresh campaigns, establishing alliances and heading to the courts, to secure injunctions to stop the election.

    Curiously, it is first-term governors from either the APC or the PDP that are facing serious challenge in the states where elections are scheduled to hold. The following is how the supplementary election battle in each of the states would be fought and won.

    BAUCHI

    The back and forth movement over today’s supplementary election in some polling units Bauchi State was eventually settled on Thursday, with INEC saying it will go ahead with the exercise.

    The Bauchi State governorship election was declared inconclusive, follow ing irregularities in some polling units across 15 local government areas.

    The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Bauchi, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said today’s supplementary elections are due to be held in 36 polling units in 15 local government areas. There are 22,759 registered voters in the affected 36 polling units where the supplementary elections will be taking place today.

    In the results released so far, the PDP candidate, Bala Mohammed, is leading with 4,059 votes; having scored 469,512 votes, against 465,453 votes polled by the incumbent Governor Mohammed Abubakar of the APC.

    Results from Tafawa Balewa local government are also in dispute, after thugs attacked the local government collation centre and disrupted the collation of results.

    INEC had decided to resume the collation of results in the council, but a court ruling has  suspended the exercise in the local government, which is regarded as a stronghold of the PDP. So, the local government is not part of today’s supplementary elections.

    INEC had indicated that it would resume the collation of results of the disputed Tafawa Balewa Local Government after considering a report submitted by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Bauchi. But it had to stay action on the matter, following the court injunction. The PDP insists that the initial cancellation of the result from the local government was illegal because the returning officer did not have the power to cancel the results already collated. The party said since there were no reports of violent clashes and disruptions of voting at the polling units,  which was the only ground for the cancellation of results, the returning officer acted outside his power by rejecting the result from the council. The PDP on Thursday threatened to boycott today’s supplementary elections on the grounds that INEC has allegedly compromised the process by acceding to the demands of the ruling APC.

    It had also appointed a new collation/returning officer to conclude the collation process, after Mrs Dominion Anosike withdrew over alleged threats to her life and her family. But the decision of the electoral body was rejected by the APC.

    PDP chairman, Hamza Akuyam, said no supplementary elections should take place until the full governorship election results collation, which ended with Tafawa Balewa local government, are announced.

    He said: “Doing otherwise will be synonymous with writing a reseat examination while the main examination has not been marked.” He accused the REC in Bauchi of deliberately keeping everybody waiting at the collation centre until around 2pm when he abruptly surfaced with a court injunction halting the collation exercise.

    With the current state of affairs, the PDP is in pole position to win the election. Apart from the fact that it is leading with 4,059 votes, the results from Tafawa Balewa Local Government, which is a stronghold of the party is still outstanding. At the end of the day, the opposition party is likely to carry the day.

    BENUE

    In Benue State, with the margin between Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP and his APC counterpart, Emmanuel Jime, INEC is conducting today’s election to fulfill all righteousness, because it is obvious that PDP has an unassailable lead.

    The supplementary election will be conducted in almost all the 23 local government areas with about 121,091 votes at stake. After the March 9 election, the PDP was leading 81,554 votes. The party polled 420,576 votes, while its closest challenger, the APC, scored 329,022. INEC had to declare the election inconclusive, because cancelled votes -121,091 — were higher than the margin between the two top candidates.

    Governor Ortom is likely to emerge victorious at the end of today’s exercise, because it will be difficult to have a 100 per cent turnout and the APC getting enough votes to cancel the PDP’s lead. The two leading political parties have been wooing voters ahead of today’s election.

    The PDP had insisted that Ortom won the election and that he should be declared winner of the election.

    KANO

    Today’s supplementary election in Kano State is a battle between former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and incumbent Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. The election is likely to determine the political future of the two gladiators. The two politicians were allies from 1999 when they were elected as governor and deputy governor respectively, up to 2015 when the former nominated the latter to succeed him as the state governor.

    But, less than two years after the election that brought Ganduje to power, his relationship with his former boss became sour and this finally led to the defection of Kwankwaso to the PDP.

    Ganduje is seeking re-election to complete a second tenure as governor, while the ‘PDP candidate, Abba Kabir Yusuf, is contesting governorship for the first time.

    This is where the real contest is. Although the PDP occupies the high ground in this contest, its lead is not enough to guarantee that it would triumph at the end of the day. The final outcome would be determined by the electors who will come out to cast their ballot today.  In the results declared so far, the PDP flag bearer leads the incumbent governor with 26,000 votes, while the votes at stake in the 172 polling units where the supplementary election is taking place are 128,572.

    The March 9 governorship election was cancelled in the affected units due to disturbances over voting and nonusage of the Card Reader machines.

    The declaration of the election as inconclusive is in accordance with section 26 of the INEC Act, because the number of cancelled votes is beyond the margin between the candidate with the highest votes and the one that came second.

    In the results released so far, the PDP candidate scored 1,014,474, while the APC had 987,819 votes.

    There is no telling who will emerge victorious at the end of the day, given the number of registered voters in the area where results were cancelled.

    Nevertheless, the PDP candidate appears to have an upper hand, with the 26,000 votes advantage he enjoys going into today’s supplementary election.

    PLATEAU

    In the case of Plateau State, today’s supplementary election may turn out to be a mere formality. Incumbent Governor Simon Lalong, who is the APC candidate, is in pole position to secure his re-election.

    While the supplementary elections in Adamawa, Bauchi and Benue seem set to go PDP way, the APC has similarly secured acomfortable lead in Plateau State.

    Other things being equal, the incumbent, Simon Lalong, seems ready to clinch a second term in office.

    So far, in the declared election result, Lalong polled 583,255 votes, while Jeremiah Useni of the PDP secured 538,326 votes. With a margin 44,929 between the two contestants and 49,377 cancelled votes, today’s election is a mere formality.

    Observers say the supplementary election is needless and a mere waste of time and resources because it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Useni to come from far behind to level up the margin and beat Lalong. They say the odds weigh heavily to the point of impossibility against the PDP candidate, for him to defeat the APC candidate.

     

    SOKOTO

    In Sokoto, the PDP candidate, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, is clinging to a narrow lead ahead of his APC counterpart, Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto. Tambuwal leads with 3,413 votes, having scored 489,558 votes, against his APC counterparts 486,090 votes.

    A winner could not be declared since the cancelled votes were more than the margin between the winner and the runner off. The number of registered voters in the area where results were cancelled are 75, 403, whereas Tambuwal is leading his APC counterpart with 3, 413 votes.

    Sokoto is another electoral contest that is too close to call. After defecting to the PDP to pursue his presidential ambition, Tambuwal lost some of his local support, especially that of the defacto godfather of Sokoto politics and a former governor of the state, Aliyu Wamakko.

    The APC draws most of its support from the influential Wamakko and many analysts did not give the PDP a chance until it managed to secure a respectable portion of the votes during the presidential election.

    The supplementary election may, however, offer the APC an opportunity to rouse itself from slumber and restrategise for a better outing.

  • Anxiety in Kano, Sokoto, Plateau, Bauchi, Benue

    Voters in parts of Kano, Sokoto, Plateau, Benue and Bauchi are heading back to the polling centres today eager to end days of apprehension caused by the March 9 inconclusive governorship and state assembly elections.

    Although, the elections will take place in only a few parts of the affected states, the security agencies are leaving nothing to chances.

    The Police yesterday announced a total restriction of vehicular and human movement in Kano and Plateau states.

    Security is also being beefed up at flashpoints in Benue State with a view to protecting lives property and electoral materials.

    Soldiers in Sokoto State extended their “Show of Force Exercise” to six violence-prone local government areas of the state ahead of the supplementary election.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State, which had threatened to boycott the election, announced that it was now ready for the election while the All Progressives Congress (APC) strongman in Benue State, Senator George Akume, boasted that nothing would save Governor Samuel Ortom from losing the election.

    In Kano State, 128,324 voters will decide the fate of the incumbent Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of the APC and Abba Kabir Yusuf of the PDP in the supplementary polls in the state.

    They will vote at 207 polling units spread across 28 local government areas.

    Tension remained thick in the air last night as residents prayed for the election to come and go peacefully.

    Governor Ganduje urged residents to remain calm and expect nothing short of victory for his party.

    He said the PDP candidate and his supporters would be shocked today by the turn of events against them.

    Ganduje further warned that the state government would not tolerate any breach of peace under whatever guise, assuring that his government would not fold its arms and watch people instigate instability.

    According to him, “as the governor of Kano State and the chief security officer of the state, I cannot sleep if any drop of blood is wasted. Brandishing of harmful objects is also abhorred by my administration.

    The PDP governorship candidate, Abba Kabir Yusuf was equally optimistic of carrying the day. His spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa said: “We are known to be peace lovers and so we shall remain, as we are very sure of victory during the rerun.

    “Our supporters should not forget that PDP is already leading in the last count of the election and interestingly, the rerun would take place in the strongest areas of our party.

    “We urge everyone to keep hope alive in our quest to rescue Kano from the hands of corrupt leaders and agents of distraction.”

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Prof. Riskuwa Shehu Arabi, said three additional RECs from Zamfara, Kebbi and Ogun states had been deployed to Kano to ensure a successful exercise.

    He said: “We are working to make sure that we don’t have any distraction. We have held series of meetings with stakeholders to review our strategies.

    “We have also held meetings with leaders of both political parties, and we have made them to understand that the election is not a war.

    “They have also promised to talk to their supporters to conduct themselves in peaceful manner. Securities agencies have assured us of adequate security.

    “I am sure the Commissioner of Police has been talking to different groups of people, particularly the youths. I am very confident we will have a peaceful election on Saturday.”

    Police Commissioner Mohammed Wakili warned trouble makers to steer clear of the polling centres.

    “I warn that no one should test our might because we would not hesitate to clampdown on anyone who tries to disturb the peace enjoyed in the state,” he said.

    He asked parents, traditional leaders as well as political leaders to ensure that their wards and supporters conduct themselves in a responsible manner during the supplementary elections.

    The Police Command warned that there would be no vehicular or human movement in all the 44 local government areas of the state from 6am to 6pm today.

    It said: “No vehicle, motorcycle or tricycle will be allowed to move between 0600hrs and 1800hrs on that day. Eligible voters are advised to take a walk to their polling stations. Inconvenience regretted, please.”

     

    Restrictions in Plateau too

    The Plateau State Police Command also imposed total restriction of movement of persons and vehicles in all parts of the state from 6:00am to 6:00pm today during the supplementary elections.

    The Command said in a statement that it was committed to ensuring that the people of the state exercise their franchise without fear of molestation.

    It said the restriction was aimed at preventing the movement of people from local governments where elections will not be held into areas where election would be taking place to ferment trouble.

    It stated that security personnel will be deployed to enforce the restriction order and urged the people of the state to be law abiding and cooperate with security personnel to ensure the success of the electoral process.

    Read also: Rerun polls: Tambuwal, Aliyu, Ganduje,Yusuf, others locked in fierce battle

    Army extends show of force to six violence-prone LGAs in Sokoto

    The Nigeria Army yesterday extended its “Show of Force Exercise” to six violence-prone local government areas in Sokoto State ahead of the supplementary elections.

    The affected local government areas are Raba, Kebbe, Gada, Goronyo, Sabon Birni and Isa.

    Addressing the motorcade before taking off from Sokoto, Maj.-Gen. Hakeem Otiki, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 8 Division of the Army, said the exercise was to arouse public attention to the presence of the military.

    Otiki explained that the exercise was not meant to intimidate the public, but to express army readiness to curtail any form of public disturbance.

    He said further that the exercise would also serve as warning to hoodlums and other disgruntled elements that might plan or intend to disrupt the upcoming supplementary elections.

    The GOC added that similar exercise was conducted for hours in Sokoto metropolis on Thursday and urged the people to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in ensuring peaceful coexistence in the country.

    Bauchi PDP backpedals, to participate in supplementary polls

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State, which had threatened to boycott the supplementary polls, said yesterday that it was ready for the election.

    The party says it is well prepared as it urged voters to come out en masse to exercise their civic right.

    Addressing reporters in Bauchi, the Chairman of the party, Alhaji Hamza Koshe Akuyam said: “You know we are leading. As it is now, what we want to do now is to cap it up. Insha Allah, by tomorrow (today), even if the Inspector General of Police comes to Bauchi, the people of Bauchi will still decide who they want.

    “We are good to go. PDP is not afraid of election, and more so, we have won this election and we will continue to win”

    Alhaji Akuyam said the party remained committed to the peaceful conduct of the re-run elections.

    They had threatened not to participate in the supplementary election after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, released the date for the rerun.

    Akuyam had told reporters: “The supplementary election is a sham. INEC wants to conduct rerun because 22, 759 people were disenfranchised in 15 LGAs. Meanwhile 139,240 were disenfranchised in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area.

    “I don’t know what INEC is up to. Maybe they are reading somebody’s script. We are not going to participate in this election.

    “Our legal team will look at this matter, though it is not just about going to court.”

    INEC on why there will be no election in Tafawa Balewa LGA

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday that supplementary election would not take place in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State today owning to an ongoing court case.

    Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said on Channels Television that the commission would conduct the poll in other affected areas of the state.

    “We are going to conduct an election in Bauchi tomorrow (today) except in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area because of the court action instituted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate,” he said.

    He expressed displeasure at the rate at which politicians were filing litigations in court, and appealed to them to accept the outcome of election whether they lose or win in the contest.

    Oyekanmi said: “As a law-abiding agency, we have to comply with the order. But we are challenging that order. People will be confused as to what is going on.”

     

    Bauchi Finance Commissioner resigns hours to supplementary poll

    The Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Hon. Garba Sarki Mohammed Akuyam, resigned unexpectedly yesterday, 24 hours to the supplementary election.

    He said he was leaving on account of “recent developments and political realities of present day Bauchi State.”

    He added: “”During my stay in office as Commissioner for Rural Development and thereafter Commissioner for Finance for a period of almost two and half years, I in all honesty enjoyed working with your Excellency, who has always given me regard, respect and fatherly advice. Indeed, the gesture is of course reciprocal.

    “Therefore it is my privilege and singular honour to most sincerely register my appreciation for the recognition accorded me by his Excellency, Governor Mohammed Abubakar, to serve his government and the good people of Bauchi State as a commissioner, promising to answer another call to serve my dear state ever when called upon to do that in another capacity as the need may perhaps arise.”

    Garba Sarki, who was the Director General of the campaign team of Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar in 2015, added that he remains in the ruling APC.

    Ortom will lose, Akume vows

    The APC leader in Benue State, Senator George Akume, was confident that Governor Samuel Ortom would lose today.

    Speaking with our correspondent, Akume, a former governor of the state said: “Find out from this man (Ortom) precisely what are your achievements? Sometimes I look at this and laugh because one of the achievements he claims is a private initiative in my village, a privately-owned soya processing factory.

    “Those who go to Benue will weep for that state. This is a state that has all the potentials of feeding the entire West Africa sub region.

    “Recently I heard that he bought 50 tractors to distribute to farmers and what is 50 tractors?

    “When I went to Government House during President Buhari’s visit, I saw ten tractors and I don’t know whether it is just for show man ship but when Sokoto bought 2000 tractors over two years ago, Kebbi got 1,500.

    “The Benue farmer is very hard working, the Benue man is an intelligent person but they also need an enabling environment to enable them express themselves maximally and efficiently in agricultural sector in particular, but it is not happening.

    “The schools in Benue state, if not because of school feeding, primary schools would have been dead; the teachers go there, they don’t teach because they are not being paid.”

    ‘We’ve won already – Ortom

    However, Ortom’s representative at the INEC Collation Centre, Mr. Alex Ter Adum, told The Nation that the supplementary election is just a formality for the governor.

    “It is no supplementary election; it is only complementary election for our victory,” Adum said.

    He added: “As I stated earlier, I am saying that the returns by the Returning Officer for the election were not in accordance with the requirements of Section 179, sub-section 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “It is also not in conformity with requirements of Section 26 of the Electoral Act; neither does it comply with the provisions of Regulation 47 of the Guidelines for the Conduct of this election; they ought to have isolated this issues in the ways specified in the Guidelines.

    “In places where elections were held and result s were mutilated thereafter when results have been declared at the polling units, they ought to have entered zero scores for all the political parties and voided all the results.

    “In areas where the Smart Card Readers was deployed and resisted by voters, and where manual accreditation was done, they ought to have voided those votes and declared zero for all the political parties.”

    “So, if you take the deductions from all these areas which occurred in Ukum, Guma, Gwer East, Okpokwu and Konshisha local government areas, the margin of lead for my candidate which is 81, 000 votes ought to be more and above the margin of places where elections were cancelled or did not hold.

  • PDP cries foul over alleged militarisation in Sokoto

    Sokoto State chapter of the People Democratic Party (PDP) has said that it will not accept anything short of free, fair and credible polls in tomorrow’s supplementary poll in the state.

    Speaking during an emergency press conference in Sokoto on Friday, its state chairman Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma alleged that All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts and serving governors on the platform of the opposition from other states were in Sokoto to work for their governorship candidate and the party.

    “This is unacceptable and INEC must be neutral by upholding honesty in defence of its integrity as an independent umpire.

    READ ALSO: Sokoto re-run: Army extends show of force to six violence-prone LGAs

    “We are also aware that Mrs. Amina Zakari is in town. We are not against her coming if she is here to do the right thing. Otherwise, we will not take it.”

    Milgoma however said the party and its supporters were not also comfortable with the security arrangement, accusing them of seeming partisan.

    “We are calling on security agencies to discharge their duties with all honesty by ensuring a peaceful atmosphere for voters to exercise their franchise.

    “The people of Sokoto state are set to reelect our candidate (Tambuwal) by democratic means.

    “No intimidation, threat or the like can change their choice of Tambuwal.

    “Our votes will be defended to ensure that whoever wins in a free, fair and transparent contest should be given and we will follow him,” he said.

    Meanwhile, in a related outcry, the Nigerian Youth Coalition Against Electoral Violence (NYCAEV) northwest zone alleged massive deployment of security operatives to the state despite peaceful atmosphere.

    “This calls for concern as it is worrisome. The state has been taken over by combined forces of military, police and other security agents.

    “We have uncovered invitation and presence of APC governors and hired thugs camped in hotels in Sokoto to perpetrate acts that would force victory to them.

    “This is a threat to peaceful and credible rerun elections in Sokoto and Kano states respectively,” the coalition stated.

  • Wamakko loses brother

    The seat of the caliphate, Sokoto, was thrown into mourning yesterday, following the demise of the 15th Baraden Wamakko, Alhaji Salihu Barade.

    He died at around 2.00am yesterday.

    Barade, who is the younger brother to Senator Aliyu Wamakko, died at the age of 64.

    He was buried in his hometown, Wamakko, headquarters of Wamakko Local Government in Sokoto State, yesterday morning, according to Islamic rites.

    According to a statement by Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Wamakko, Bashir Rabe Mani, the funeral prayer was led by the Chief Imam of Dankel, Alhaji Muhammadu Dangande.

    The prayer was attended by Senator Wamakko, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, his deputy, Alhaji Mannir Dan-Iya.

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, was represented by the Wazirin Sokoto, Prof. Sambo Wali Junaidu.

    Also in attendance were the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto;  his running mate,  Alhaji Faruku Malami Yabo; Chairman, APC Gubernatorial Campaign Council  Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi,  Secretary to the Sokoto State Government Prof. Bashir Garba, State APC Chairman Alhaji Isa Sadiq Achida,  as well as various traditional and religious leaders, among thousands of other sympathisers.

    The late Baraden Wamakko is survived by two wives, eight children and several grandchildren.

    He was appointed and installed as the 15th Baraden Wamakko and a Senior Counsellor of the Sultanate Council in 2009.

  • NAFDAC confiscates expired food products in Sokoto

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated and destroyed assorted contaminated food products in Sokoto State in February.

    A statement issued by Prof. Moji Adeyeye, the Director-General of the agency on Thursday in Abuja, said the contaminated foods and beverages were discovered in some markets in Sokoto following surveillance.

    READ ALSO: Drug Abuse: No new registration for alcohol in sachets – NAFDAC

    “During the month of February, 1374 cartons of expired Cherie Instant Noodle worth 1.7 million were forfeited to the office; they were dubiously supplied to the marketer in Sokoto Old Market.

    “In same month, 64 crates of assorted expired soft drinks worth N70, 400 were also confiscated from a sales outlet.

    “Upon surveillance to some yogurt depots in Sokoto, 90 bottles of registered yogurt without label worth N27, 000 were confiscated and out-rightly destroyed,” she said.

    Adeyeye assured that NAFDAC would continue to take proactive steps to ensure that Nigerians do not consume foods and drugs that were injurious to their health.

  • Ukraine to the rescue

    •Sokoto’s decision to send 50 indigenes to Ukraine to study medicine is commendable.  But the state should develop the capacity to train even more at home

    A post-inauguration speech of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State in 2015 was remarkable in one sense. He had promised to declare a state of emergency in the education sector of the state. This he did, given Sokoto’s high illiteracy level. He started off in his first term by sending a bill to the state House of Assembly making education compulsory and a punishable offence for parents that err in this regard.

    He also surpassed the UNESCO benchmark of 26 per cent budgetary allocation to the education sector in 2016. He invested in teachers by retraining and recruiting qualified ones to reduce the high student/teacher ratio, thereby improving learning. He equally invested in incentives to encourage more girls to go to school, at some point offering cash rewards to those who sustain the idea of going and staying in school. He had partnered with some development partners like United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

    However, the governor’s attempts at improving education in his state with investments in school infrastructure and human development seem not to be enough to give the state the trained manpower it needs. No news from the state validates this assertion more than the recent news that 50 students of the state origin would be sent to Ukraine to study various aspects of medical sciences. According to the Chairman of the Sokoto State Scholarship Board, Altine Shehu Kajiji, sponsoring the 50 students is part of the 200 scholarships that Governor Tambuwal promised the people. He said that some other students had gone to India, Ghana and Sudan.

    While the acquisition of education is a laudable venture, we feel that given the education challenges in the Northern region, especially Sokoto, the foreign exchange being spent in other countries can actually be used to equip more schools or even build some modern ones to serve more people in the state.

    Sending 200 people to foreign universities is not really a bad idea, but given the little resources available to the state, it might have been more economically valuable to improve the infrastructure in Sokoto and hire some good hands to train the students, thus making it a more sustainable project.

    However, we still commend the governor’s efforts to train more students in the medical sciences because of the dire need of such professionals in that part of the country. The socio-religious leaning of the people makes it difficult for the men to allow male doctors to attend to their female children and wives. We therefore hope that this guides the selection of those being sent abroad to study so that they can come back and contribute to the very needy health sector in the state, especially as it concerns women’s health.

    It is also important for the government to ensure that merit be the criterion for selection because there had been instances where children of politicians and other influential people that can afford the fees are still the ones selected for scholarships.

    We also advise that while the foreign scholarships are commendable, more emphasis should be on getting children to acquire the basic education in the state. The almajiri education system must be quickly overhauled and better funded to make it more impactful. Even though in comparative terms, girl-child education in Sokoto is seemingly better than most other northern states, it is still below average. We therefore advise the government to intensify campaigns on girl-child education.

    The idea of sending a few students of medical sciences abroad should not be seen as a great leap in the education sector of any state because the number is too negligible in comparative terms when put side by side the educational needs of any state.

    We therefore hope that the government is not embarking on this for any temporary political capital, as has been seen in some other states and even at the federal level, where many students so sent are left without the needed financial support, in ways that often force them to depend on the benevolence of either unprepared relations or even the host countries. Let their needs be met so that they can be motivated enough to achieve their aim and come back and contribute to the development of the state.

  • INCONCLUSIVE POLLS:Who wins Kano, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Benue Plateau?

    After 9th March 2019 Governorship and State Assembly Elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared six state’s exercise inconclusive. This week, electoral body announced that it would hold supplementary elections in the affected states on 23rd March 2019. In this report, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports on how the extra elections would be fought and won

    THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced during the week that it will on March 23, 2019, conduct extra elections in the six states where the March 9 Gubernatorial and State Assembly Elections were declared inconclusive. The affected states where the commission will be holding the supplementary polls are: Plateau, Sokoto, Bauchi, Benue, Adamawa and Kano.

    A statement on Tuesday by Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said the commission met on Monday and reviewed the conduct of the 29 Governorship and 991 State Constituency Elections held across the country on the 9th of March 2019. The commission had declared winners in the governorship elections in only 22 states while the Returning Officers (ROs) in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto states declared the elections inconclusive.

    “Consequently, the commission will conduct supplementary elections on Saturday 23rd March 2019 to conclude the process. Supplementary elections will also hold in polling units in all states where State Assembly elections were declared inconclusive and winners could not be declared,” Okoye said. Details of the constituencies including number of polling units and registered voters were published on the commission’s website last Wednesday, 13th March 2019.

    Expectedly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been bragging about their capacity to carry the day ahead of the March 23 Supplementary Elections to decide who will control power in the six aforementioned states. While the leadership of the APC has expressed its satisfaction with the decisions of INEC, the PDP is faulting the commission’s decision in some states like Sokoto, Adamawa and Benue.

    Both parties however vowed to win the re-run election billed for March 23 in all the states. While the APC now have control of 18 states following its victory in 13 of the 22 declared states, which is now added to the five states of Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, Kogi and Osun already in its kitty, the PDP can boast of 10 states, adding nine newly won states to Bayelsa State. The two parties are now poised to increase their tallies by adding more states on March 23.

     

    SOKOTO

    In Sokoto State, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of the PDP, who scored 489, 588, is leading his APC counterpart, Aliyu Sokoto, who garnered 486, 145 votes, with 3,413 votes. According to the details released by the electoral umpire, the two leading parties will on March 23, battle for 75,493 votes in 136 polling units in 22 local government areas of the state.

    Before the process was declared inconclusive, the two parties were laying claim to victory. But pundits say with over 75, 000 votes still at stake and the margin between Tambuwal and Sokoto standing at a meagre 3, 413, the March 23 election can tilt the final result of the governorship election in Sokoto state either way. “It is still too early to say precisely who will emerge the next governor of Sokoto state,” an analyst said.

    Factors being considered by pundits in putting the tag of ‘unpredictable’ on the ongoing contest in Sokoto State include the APC’s sterling performance during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the state and PDP’s unexpected comeback during the inconclusive Governorship and State Assembly polls. While the APC swept majority of the votes across the state in the earlier election, the PDP is leading in the latter with a slight margin.

    The presidential election results in Sokoto State showed that while President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC scored 490,333 votes, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the opposition PDP got 361,604 votes to place second. The APC also won the three senatorial seats in the state and pocketed majority of the House of Representatives seats. But during the Governorship and State Assembly Elections, the PDP turned the table and took the lead.

    Consequently, with the margin so slim and the votes to contest for quite much, Sokoto State remains a battleground ahead of the March 23 extra election. Reliable sources in the state told The Nation that the final result of the election in the state will be determined by some very local issues that are of importance to the ordinary people of the state. “The people are voting based on their individual convictions as to which of the two leaders, Wammakko and Tambuwal, can better their lots,” a source explained.

    Verdict: Battleground

     

    ADAMAWA

    Before the process was declared inconclusive in Adamawa, the PDP, with 367,471 votes as against APC’s 334,995, was leading by 32,476 votes. The candidates of the two parties have 40,998 votes to fight for. Incumbent Governor Jibrilla Bindow of the APC and his challenger PDP Umar Fintiri will be slugging it out on March 23. Convinced that it won the election outrightly on the first ballot, the PDP has been clamouring that it should be declared winner.

    On its part, the APC, realising that it has a hard task ahead of it, has been strategising on how to turn the table on March 23. But pundits say it is a herculean task that may be very difficult to carry out. With barely 41, 000 votes up for grab and the PDP already at advantage with 32, 471, in a state that was won by the opposition party during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections, the APC may be unable to wrought any magic.

    During the Presidential Election, PDP’s Atiku Abubakar polled 412, 266 to defeat APC’s President Muhammadu Buhari, his closest challenger who scored 377,488. The results show a difference of 34,778 between them. Ironically, Buhari won 11 of the state’s 21 local government areas, while Abubakar picked the remaining 10. Earlier, the PDP presidential candidate had lost his polling unit to the APC.

    The PDP had also won two, out of the three senatorial seats in the state as well as majority of the House of Representatives seats. Ishaku Elisha Cliff of the PDP, clinched the Adamawa North senatorial seat while his party man, Yaroe Binos Dauda, emerged winner in Adamawa South. The ruling party, APC claimed victory only through Dahiru Aishatu Ahmed, who was declared winner in Adamawa Central Senatorial District.

    All these facts, and more, will be trailing both the PDP and the APC as they go to polls on March 23 to decide the final winner of the obviously keen contest. However, the APC remains disadvantaged. Aside from the huge deficit the party will be struggling to cancel, renewed infighting among its chieftains may also work against its victory at the supplementary election.

    Verdict: PDP

     

    BAUCHI

    Before INEC announced that it will, next Tuesday, be resuming collation of governorship election result in Bauchi State and may declare the winner of the poll, hitherto ruled as inconclusive, the planned re-run election in the state, earlier scheduled for March 23, from all available facts, as well as emerging indications from parts of the state where elections were to hold, remained too close to call. The PDP candidate Bala Muhammed, is currently enjoying a slight lead with 4,059 votes. At the end of the inconclusive first ballot, the PDP had 469,512 votes while the APC candidate, Governor Mohammed Abubakar, got 465,453 votes.

    According to INEC, There were 139,240 cancelled votes to that were to be contested for on March 23. The voters in the affected polling units were to decide the winner of the tense governorship contest in the northeastern state. Before the inconclusive election, opinion as to which party will win Bauchi remained divided. The state, before 2015, has been a stronghold of the PDP.

    While those banking on President Buhari’s popularity in the state predicted that Governor Abubakar will retain his seat, others, citing the local politics of the state as well as some failings of the Abubakar led APC administration, coupled with the growing popularity of the opposition PDP in the last few years, said it will be easier for the opposition party to displace APC at the gubernatorial election. Not even the victory of the APC at the presidential election changed their stance.

    Though the APC won the three senatorial seats and majority of House of Representatives slots in the state, the victory of Speaker Yakubu Dogara and a host of other PDP candidates in the state provided a platform for the opposition party to rally its forces ahead of the gubernatorial and state assembly elections. The improved performance of the PDP in the inconclusive polls, according to analysts, is a result of the local issues determining the people’s voting preferences.

    But the political scenario in Bauchi state changed once again when the electoral commission announced its latest decision concerning the guber election in the state in a press statement on Friday night reportedly after resolving some issues around the result of Tafawa Balewa local government and some polling units in Ningi local government.

    INEC did not state whether by the decision, the scheduled supplementary election on 23 March has been cancelled. According to INEC, the number of cancelled votes in four polling units in Ningi Local Government was 2,533 and not 25,330 as recorded. On Tafawa Balewa Local Government election result, where collation was disrupted by armed gangs, affecting 7 out of 11 registration areas for governorship and 6 out of 11 for state assembly elections, INEC said a committee set up, has found that the results in polling units and registration areas are “available and in safe custody”.

    INEC thus decided to resume the resumption and conclusion of the collation of results of the council area for both the governorship and state assembly elections A new collation and returning officer for Tafawa Balewa has been appointed “to continue and conclude the collation process in place of the original collation officer, who withdrew from the exercise citing threats to her life and those of her family members”. The threatened collation officer was Dominion Anosike.

    While INEC says result in Tafawa Balewa will be announced after collation, the PDP claims it garnered over 40, 000 votes in the L.G.A to APC’s less than 30, 000. It is however left to be seen if the party’s claim will tally with the result INEC will come up with. Head or tail, the governorship election in Bauchi state is a straight fight between incumbent Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress and former minister, Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party.

    Verdict: Battleground

     

    BENUE

    At the end of the inconclusive gubernatorial election in Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP got 410, 576. His closest rival, Emmanuel Jime of the APC got 329, 022 at the close of the first ballot. Going by the result released by INEC, PDP’s Ortom currently leads the governorship contest with 81,554 votes. The two frontline candidates will be slugging out for 121, 011 votes in the affected polling units across the state.

    But analysts say it is going to be very difficult for APC, which also lost the last Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the state to the PDP, to overturn the deficit and win the supplementary election. “PDP will most likely go ahead to consolidate its lead at the extra polls on its way to finally retaining the troubled state in its political kitty till 2023,” an analyst said.

    Before Governor Ortom moved over to the PDP last year, Benue State was controlled by the APC. But following incessant face-offs between Ortom and the leadership of his then party as well as the presidency over the herdsmen/farmers clashes in the state, Ortom defected to the PDP and picked its governorship ticket. Many prominent chieftains of the APC, including Senator Barnabas Gemade, also dumped the party.

    The presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had emerged winner of the Presidential Election in the state last month. The result, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Collation Officer Prof. Sabastine Maimako, in Makurdi showed that President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC scored 347,668 vote, while Atiku scored 355,255 votes.

    Also noteworthy is the fact that during the presidential election, APC won in 10 Local Government Areas of the state, while PDP won in 13 Local Government Areas. The party also cleared all the three senatorial seats up for grab. Former Governor Gabriel Suswam emerged as the Senator for Benue North East, Emmanuel Yisa Orker-Jev for Benue North West and ex-Minister Patrick Abba Moro in Benue South.

    Majority of the State Assembly seats declared in the state are also now in the kitty of the PDP. The unexpected loss of the Benue North West seat by the APC leader in the state, Senator George Akume, disorganised the party ahead of the Governorship and State Assembly Elections. Though local issues like non-payment of workers’ salaries and lack of infrastructural amenities worked against the PDP and Governor Ortom, it appears the many killings and attacks suffered by the state decided how they voted.

    Verdict: PDP

     

    PLATEAU

    In Plateau State, incumbent Governor Simon Lalong of the APC got 583, 255 to lead Senator Jeremiah Useni of the PDP with 44,929 votes. Useni got 538, 326. The duo will be fighting for the outstanding 49,377 votes. But many analysts say the election is APC’s to win. With only 49, 377 votes to be contested for in the affected polling units, and APC already comfortably leading with 44, 929, the opposition party looks defeated already.

    Aside from its comfortable lead, the ruling APC also pocketed majority of the state assembly seats to show its acceptance across the state. The ruling party is also benefiting from the performance of Governor Lalong, which has been adjudged by many to be commendable, especially his ability to restore and maintain peace in the troubled parts of the North Central state. His relationship with civil servants in the state is also a plus for the ruling party.

    The current result of the governorship election which shows that APC is ahead of the PDP is a departure from what obtained at the Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the state. Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the PDP, won the presidential election in Plateau after scoring 548,665 votes. Atiku defeated his closest opponent, Muhammadu Buhari, of the APC, who scored 468, 555 votes. Atiku won in 11 local government areas while Buhari won in six LGAs of the state.

    Although the APC lost the state to the PDP during the presidential election and could only manage to win one of the three senatorial seats, with one declared inconclusive, observers of the politics of the state insist that APC looks good to win the governorship election in the end.

    Verdict: APC

     

    KANO

    Kano State is one of the states where supplementary election will be holding on March 23. There are 100, 873 votes to decide who wins the election. The PDP, with 1,014,474 votes, is in the lead while the APC, which got 987, 810, is trailing in second place. The margin in the scores of the two contenders stands at 26,664 votes. It is this calculation that informs the position of most pundits that the election is still very open for either the ruling APC or the opposition PDP to win.

    The turn of events in the Kano gubernatorial election is coming as a huge surprise to many watchers of the unfolding political drama, but analysts conversant with the voting pattern of the people of the Northwestern state say there’s nothing strange in what has happened. According to Istifanus Bako of the Centre for Democracy and Good Governance (CDGG), local issues are determining the ongoing voting patterns.

    Given that President Buhari of the APC recorded a landslide victory at the Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the state, many pundits have given the Gubernatorial and State Assembly polls to the ruling party without batting an eyelid. The presidential candidate of the APC, President Muhammadu Buhari, defeated his opponent, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku of the PDP, with 1, 073, 175 votes.

    The APC Presidential candidate garnered 1, 464, 768 votes, to defeat the PDP candidate, who garnered 391,593 votes.

    The APC also pocketed the three senatorial seats in the state to drive home its landslide victory at the Presidential and National Assembly Elections. Former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau won the Kano Central Senatorial seat, Barau Jibrin emerged the senator in Kano North while another former governor, Gaya Ibrahim Kabiru, claimed the seat in Kano South.

    But during the inconclusive Gubernatorial and State Assembly Elections, the tide changed as many voters opted to vote against Governor Abdulai Ganduje. Sources say the dollar scandal he got enmeshed in shortly before the general elections commenced has done a lot of damages to his popularity, especially among the ordinary people of the state. This appears to be working against him and the APC at the polls.

    The PDP governorship candidate in the state, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has expressed confidence that he would emerge winner of the coming governorship re-run election in the state. Kabir-Yusuf, who is the son-in-law of PDP chieftain, Rabui Kwankwaso, says Kano people want a trustworthy leader. This is just as Governor Ganduje promised that the PDP will be shocked by the outcome of the re-run elections.

    Ganduje said he was unperturbed by the wishful thinking and slapdash deportment of the PDP candidate considering what happened in the inconclusive election widely characterized by alleged vote buying and voter’s intimidation by the party. The two parties, sources claim, are working round the clock in the affected areas to ensure that they get the votes needed to merge victorious on March 23. The March 23 supplementary election will take place in 210 Polling Units constituting 88 Registration Areas.

    Verdict: Battleground

  • EFCC arraigns 4 for alleged N19m fraud in Sokoto

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Friday, arraigned four persons before the Federal High Court in Sokoto, for alleged advance fee fraud to the tune of N19 million.

    The accused persons are: Jabir Ladan, Sani Musa, Kabir Musa and Aliyu Muhammad, while Hassan Sadiq, an accomplice, is still at large.

    The accused persons, all residents of Sokoto metropolis. are facing a nine- count charge, which contravened section 8 sub section ‘A’ of Advance Fee Fraud and other frauds related offences Act.

    According to the charge sheet, the accused, between July to Sept. 2018, on different occasions, defrauded one Abdulrazak Muratala of the said amount.

    The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Muhammad Gambo, said they collected the amounts on the pretext of facilitating the release of Muratala’s goods seized by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

    However, when the charges were read, the accused persons pleaded not guilty, and the prosecution applied for adjournment to commence trial and present witnesses.

    The defence counsel, Mr Yahaya Gwazawa did not object to the adjournment, but applied for bail of the accused persons.

    The trial judge, Justice Saleh Idrissa, ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case to March 18, for hearing of the bail application.

  • APC, PDP boast ahead of March 23 extra elections

    Ganduje: PDP’ll be shocked

    PDP ‘sure of victory’

    Tambuwal, Sokoto APC: we’re ready for exercise

    Plateau APC: we’re set

    Date okay, says PDP

    Adamawa APC: INEC must respond to our concern

    A war of words broke out yesterday between the two major political parties ahead of the March 23 supplementary elections to decide who will control power in six states.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were bragging about their capacity to carry the day.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission  (INEC) has fixed 23rd March for supplementary elections in Sokoto, Benue, Adamawa, Plateau, Kano and Bauchi states.

    INEC announced the date in a press statement signed by the National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye.

    INEC noted that it acted in compliance within the ambit of the Electoral Act.

    Okoye also noted that in the case of Bauchi State, an investigation team had been set up to look into the matter.

    The statement reads: “The Commission met today, l2” March 2019 and reviewed the conduct of the 29 Governorship and 991 State constituency elections held on 9th March 2019. In all, the Commission declared winners in the Governorship elections in 22 states.

    “However, the Returning Officers in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue. Kano, Plateau and Sokoto states declared the governorship elections inconclusive. Consequently. the Commission will conduct supplementary elections on Saturday 23rd  March 2019 to conclude the process. Supplementary elections will also hold in polling units in all states where state Assembly elections were declared inconclusive and winners could not be declared. Details of the constituencies, including number of polling units and registered voters, will be published on our website (tomorrow) Wednesday 13th March, 2019.

    “The elections were declared inconclusive for a combination of reasons, mainly the discontinuation of use of the Smart Card Readers midway into the elections or the failure to deploy them, over-voting and widespread disruption in many polling units.

    “In compliance with the Margin of Lead Principle derived from Sections 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amcndcd) and paragraph 41(e) and 43(b) of the [NEC Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct of elections, the outcome of these elections could not be determined without conducting polls in the affected polling units. Hence, the Commission’s decision to conduct supplementary elections in line with this principle.

    “Furthermore, the Commission has considered a Report submitted by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Bauchi State on the disruption of the collation at the Tafawa Balewa LGA collation centre. which led to the cancellation of results for the entire local government. The Commission found that there are issues that need further investigation and has set up a team led by a National Commissioner to resolve them.”

    Here is a report of what the parties are saying:

    SOKOTO

    The APC candidate in Sokoto State, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, had on Monday accepted in good faith the declaration of the election as inconclusive.

    “I, and my party, have accepted the outcome in good faith. If you recall on the day of election, I made it clear after casting my vote that, I will accept any outcome in good faith,” he said.

    Addressing reporters at the Gawon Nama home of the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum and Coodinator, Northwest APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, the APC candidate said: “The party, its leaders and supporters are law abiding citizens and, as such, we have accepted the decision by INEC, in good faith.

    “The action of the Chief Reurning Officer, who declared the election as inconclusive was in line with the nation’s constitution, as well as the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended.

    “The declaration of the elections as inconclusive came at a time when the party was leading and we have won more than the two-thirds majority of the votes, as required by the law.

    “Apt and accurate figures in our possession have shown that, I was already coasting to victory, yet, we directed our peaceful and lawful supporters to halt their celebrations.

    “We have since directed them to embark on immediate and massive mobilisation of our supporters and the patriotic electorate, in readiness for the forthcoming rerun elections in 136 polling units across 22 local government areas to be conducted by INEC later”,  Sokoto  added.

    “There is no cause for alarm, victory is ours, Insha Sha Allah,” he said.

    Governor Waziri Tambuwal and PDP governorship candidate in Sokoto state had on Monday INEC to as a matter of fairness and justice declare him winner of the poll.

    According to him the decision by the Returning Officer of INEC, Prof Fatima Mukhtar to declare the exercise inconclusive was unconstitutional.

    He cited Section 179(2) of the constitution of the Federal Republic stated that the provision clearly explained how to conduct governorship polls.

    “Our party, the PDP has returned the highest number of votes and we have won 2/3 of the local governments in the state and therefore, the decision of INEC is not founded in law. We wonder why INEC is coming with this technical reason to declare the exercise inconclusive.” Tambuwal said.

    He told reporters in Government House, Sokoto, that the INEC decision would be put to test in the court, saying: “We have not been given substantial reasons for such decision. INEC should note that it has an image and integrity to protect as an agency and for its officials. It should not put its integrity to public questioning.

    “Up till now (Monday), we have not been told why the cancellations of the exercise in 136 polling units across 22 local government areas. We know there are adverse factors that should be considered to warrant such decisions and not in all cases rerun should be conducted.”

    On whether he and his party would participate in the supplementary election, the governor said: “Our court action will not stop us from participating. We want to make sure the right thing is done based on constitutional provisions.”

    PLATEAU

    The Chairman of Governor Simon Lalong’s Second Term Campaign Council (Media), Jonathan Ishaku, yesterday said the party and its candidate were ready for the poll.

    Ishaku, who spoke on phone with our Jos correspondent, said: “The party had resolved from the moment they declared the election inconclusive that we were going to cooperate with INEC for the re-run.

    “Obviously, the re-run is an exercise we need to use to justify the victory of our party at the poll. The people of the state have voted massively for the APC, the results are there.

    “So, the re-run is in our interest and we welcome the new date with both arms.”

    Also yesterday, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, John Akans, said the date fixed by INEC is convenient for the party and its candidate.

    Akans said: “The re-run itself is a constitutional provision and, as a law abiding party, we will prepare and mobilise our supporters to come out and vote for our party.”

    ADAMAWA

    The APC said the electoral umpire acted within the law in fixing a date for the rerun within 21 days after the main election.

    It, however urged INEC to respond to the issues it raised concerning the March 9 election.

    The Secretary of the APC in the state, Wafarniyi Theman, who spoke with our reporter on the telephone, stressed that what the party would eventually decide concerning the date for the rerun would be determined by INEC’s response to its petition.

    Theman did not specify the issues in APC’s petition. The party addressed the press on Monday evening, rejecting the outcome of the governorship election and demanding a repeat election in places where it said there were over-voting and use of security personnel to intimidate APC agents, among other things.

    The PDP also said it had issues with INEC, such as the decision to declare the election inconclusive based on slimness of margin of lead vis-à-vis the number of registered voters in polling units where voting was cancelled rather number of people who collected PVCs.

    The party, however, said it was ready for the rerun, irrespective of INEC’s response or lack of it to its objection.

    Theman said: “We are ready for the rerun because we have nothing to fear, we are set for victory; this is why we wonder why they should declare the election inconclusive because all the collected PVCs in the units where the rerun has been scheduled cannot upturn the lead we already have.”

    BENUE

    Benue APC Administrative Secretary Mark Hanmation said the party was ready for the supplementary poll.

    According to Hamation, “the APC is going for nothing short of victory.”

    In a related development, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, Bemgba Iortyom, said the ruling party has perfected its strategy ahead of the March 23 poll.

    In a press statement, Iortyom said:  “The PDP is going into the supplementary election with 81,000 votes advantage and hope to win the election which was delayed.”

     

  • Polls inconclusive in Kano, Benue, Sokoto, three others

    •Adamawa, Plateau, Bauchi also affected

    VOTERS in six states are to wait a little longer to know who will be their governor as from May 29 when the tenure of incumbent governors expires.

    Reason: elections in the six states have been declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the cancellation of votes in some polling units (PUs).

    The states are: Kano, Sokoto, Adamawa, Benue, Plateau and Bauchi.

    The development came yesterday as the electoral umpire announced governorship election results in more states, including Yobe, Borno, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Cross River, Delta, Imo and Kaduna.

    INEC’s decision to declare the polls inconclusive in the affected states was taken because the number of cancelled votes was more than the margin between the two leading candidates in the affected states.

    The commission will organise supplementary polls in the affected PUs to determine the winners of Saturday’s governorship elections in 29 states. Seven states have their governorship elections staggered.

    INEC will today review the suspension of the electoral process in Rivers State. It suspended the process on Sunday for 48 hours following widespread disruptions in the Southsouth state.

    KADUNA

    With 1.045,427 votes as against his PDP challenger Isa Mohammed Ashiru’s 814,168, Governor Nasir El-Rufai has retained his seat for the APC. He was declared winner of Saturday’s governorship election in Kaduna State.

    The Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Yahuza Bello, said El-Rufai pollled 1.045,427 to beat Isa Mohammed Ashiru of the PDP, who got 814,168, and other candidates.

    Bello said: “Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of the All Progressives Congress, having scored the highest number of votes and met all the requirements of the law, is hereby returned elected.”

    The results of the 23 local government areas show that El-Rufai won in 14 local government areas of Makarfi, Soba, Kudan, Ikara, Kauru, Kubau, Kaduna North, Giwa, Birnin Gwari, Sabongari, Lere, Kaduna South, Zaria and Igabi.

    Ashiru won in nine local government areas of Jaba, Kachia, Kaura, Kajuru, Zango Kataf, Sanga, Chikun, Kagarko and Jema’a.

    El-Rufai got 56 per cent of the total votes scored. Ashiru scored 44 per cent.

    ZAMFARA

    In Zamfara, APC’s candidate Mukhtar Shehu Idris was declared governor-elect after polling 534,541 votes to defeat the PDP candidate, Dr. Bello Muhammad who got 189, 452 votes.

    The governor-elect told reporters in his Gusau country home that he will continue with the party’s policy and programmes.

    Idris said the incumbent Governor Abdul Aziz Yari has sacrificed a lot for the development of the stare and the well-being of its citizens.

    He said: “I assure you that my administration will work right from day one towards meeting your yearnings for a more developed prosperous Zamfara state.”

    SOKOTO

    In Sokoto, where INEC declared the election inconclusive, Governor Aminu Tambuwal and candidate of the PDP urged the commission to declare him winner of the poll in the spirit of fairness and justice.

    According to him, the decision by the Returning Officer of INEC, Professor Fatima Mukhtar, to declare the exercise inconclusive was unconstitutional.

    Citing Section 179(2) of the constitution of the Federal Republic stated that the provision clearly explains how to conduct governorship polls.

    He said: “Our party, the PDP has returned the highest number of votes and have won 2/3 of the local governments in the state and, therefore, the decision of INEC is not founded in law. We wonder why INEC is coming with this technical reason to declare the exercise inconclusive.”

    Addressing a news conference in Government House, Sokoto, the governor said the decision would be put to test in the court, adding: “We have not been given substantial reasons for such decision.

    “INEC should note that it has an image and integrity to protect as an agency and for its officials. It should not put its integrity to public questioning.

    “Up till now, we have not been told why the cancellations of the exercise in 136 polling units across 22 local government areas. We know there are adverse factors that should be considered to warrant such decisions and not in all cases rerun should be conducted.”

    Urging INEC to revisit its decision, Tambuwal added: “There is the need for INEC to revisit its decision. A little more has to be done by the umpire. Prof Mahmood Yakubu and his staff should know that they have the duty of holding to public trust given them by Nigerians.

     

    “I believe we have won the elections in Sokoto State. We got the majority votes which confirm Sokoto people’s readiness and support for the party and its candidate.”

    On whether he would participate in a rerun, the governor said: “Our court action will not stop us from participating. We want to make sure the right thing is done based on constitutional provisions.”

    Thanking security agencies for their support to the election process and INEC for its ability to do and to be seen doing the right thing in defence of the democratic process, the governor insisted that “INEC and security agencies should do their best during the rerun.”

    ADAMAWA

    The PDP candidate, Umaru Fintiri, said the electoral commission has only postponed his victory by declaring the election inconclusive.

    Fintiri said he was sure of winning the supplementary poll whenever it is conducted.

    The PDP flagbearer was leading incumbent Governor Jibrila Bindow by end of the collation early yesterday.

    INEC pronounced the election inconclusive because the margin of lead between the two leading candidates was smaller than the number of cancelled votes.

    Fintiri polled 367,471 votes to take the lead. He was being trailed by the incumbent, who is the APC candidate. Bindow got 334,995 votes.

    Explaining how he arrived at declaring the election inconclusive, the state returning officer, Prof Andrew Haruna, had said the 32,467 margin between Fintiri and Bindow was lower than the 40,948 votes cancelled in 44 polling units.

    Prof Andrew said election would be held in the affected units to address the vote cancellation anomaly.

    Fintiri, who chatted with reporters in Yola, asserted that he would eventually be announced as winner.

    He said: “I’m very hopeful of victory. Adamawa is my constituency and I have been voted across the length and breadth of the state. If INEC, for reason of its own cancellation of results, has opted for supplementary election, we are ready for it.”

    The local government areas where elections were cancelled in some units are: Madagali (three polling units), Michika (five polling units), Mubi North (three polling units), Hong (four polling units), Song (four polling units), Toungo (three), Demsa (four polling units), Numan (six polling units), Lamurde (three polling units) and Guyuk (three polling units).

    Fintiri said despite the turn of events regarding the election, he regarded its conduct as having been generally credible.

    “I am satisfied with the electoral process. It was credible and transparently so in most places,” he said.

    DELTA

    Incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was yesterday declared winner of the governorship election in Delta State.

    Returning Officer Prof Seth Accra-Jaja said Okowa, of the PDP, polled 925,271 to defeat his closest rival, Great Ogboru of the APC, who scored 215,938 votes.

    According to Accra-Jaja, 1,188,784 of the 2,831,205 registered voters were accredited for the election.

    He said that 24,147 votes were voided and 1,154,188 valid, bringing the total valid votes to 1,178,335.

    The ruling PDP won in 23 local government areas spread across the three senatorial districts. The APC won in two local government areas of Ughelli North and Ethiope East.

    But the APC rejected the results. It alleged that the election was marred by massive rigging and non- compliance with the electoral law.

    The APC state agent, Prof Festus Arunaye said: “I reject the votes as announced because right from the ward level to the local government collation centre, there was gross mayhem and violence that resulted in deaths. The elections were conducted in gross violation of the electoral laws.”

    Read also: Ihedioha declared Imo governor-elect

    He said his party will seek legal redress to claim the mandate given to it by the people.

    PDP State Chairman Kingsley Esiso was happy over his party’s victory, describing it as a “victory for Deltans”.

    NASARAWA

    The governorship candidate of the APC in Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule,was declared winner by the Returning Officer, Prof Bala Abdullahi

    Sule polled 327,229 votes to defeat his closest rivals, Emmanuel Ombugadu of the PDP who scored 184,281 votes and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Labaran Maku, who came third with 132,281 votes.

    According to the returning officer, the APC candidate won in 11 of the 13 local government areas. Maku and Doma Aliyu of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) won one local government each.

    The 11  local government areas won by the APC candidate are: Awe, Keana, Obi, Lafia, Wamba, Akwanga, Kokona, Keffi, Karu, Toto and Nasarawa.

    Maku won in Nasarawa Eggon and Doma won in Doma.

    CROSS RIVER

    Incumbent Cross River State Governor Prof Ben Ayade retained his seat for the PDP.

    Ayade, who won in all the 18 local government areas, polled 381,484 to beat the APC to the second position with 131,161 and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the third with 4, 818 votes.

    Announcing the results early yesterday, the returning officer and Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Warri, Delta State, Prof Akii Ibhadode, said the PDP candidate, having scored the highest number of votes and fulfilled the requirements of the law, was returned elected.

    KANO

    INEC suspended indefinitely the collation of results from the Nassarawa Local Government Area, following the destruction of electoral materials by thugs.

    Results of 43 local council areas had already been declared with incumbent Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and APC candidate winning in 29. His challenger, Abba Kabiru Yusuf of the PDP, held sway in 14 local government areas.

    The PDP candidate was leading with 6,608 votes.

    The results of Nassarawa Local Government were delayed following the cancellation of some polling units in Gama ward.

    Speaking to reporters at the INEC collation centre, about 4am, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof Riskuwa Shehu Arabu, said the suspension of the collation followed  “disturbing” reports of electoral violence.

    He said: “We have received disturbing reports of disruption of results collation of Nassarawa Local Government polls by some people which led to the destruction of some of the result sheets.”

    Riskuwa noted that INEC could not continue with the collation and final declaration of the result due to the commotion that disrupted the compilation of the results.

    He said INEC had resolved to refer to its primary and secondary data from the polling units and wards that will confirm those that will be acceptable within the Electoral Act.

    YOBE

    Mai Mala Buni of the APC was declared governor-elected governor of Yobe State.

    Buni, a former National Secretary of the APC, was dlared as winner of the March 9 governorship poll in the Northeast states after polling 444, 013 votes to beat Umar Iliya Damagum of the PDP, who polled 95, 703.

    Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Abubakar Musa Kundiri, who announced the results, said the election was generally peaceful.

    There was wild jubilation across the state as supporters of the APC took to the streets to celebrate the victory.

    BORNO

    Prof Babagana Umara Zullum of the APC won the governorship in Borno.

    Declaring him governor-elect, the INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof Alhassan Muhammad Gani, who is also the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State, said Prof Zullum scored 1,175,440 votes across the 27 local government areas to trounce his closest rival Mohammed Alkali Imam of the PDP, who got 66,115 votes.

    Prof Mani also announced that 32 political parties registered and participated in the governorship election, noting that the election was peaceful.

    IMO

    Former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha was yesterday declared governor-elect in Imo State.

    The PDP candidate polled 273, 404 to defeat the Action Congress (AA) candidate Uche Nwosu, who scored 190,364 and Ifeanyi Ararume of APGA, who got 114, 676 votes.