By Ayo Kehinde
As the countdown to the March 23 supplementary polls in the five states of Adamawa, Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto begins, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, against its interests.
It faulted the Commission for its stand on Bauchi, the only state whose poll would be concluded on Tuesday, March 19 following the Commission’s decision to collate only results of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area results before declaring the full results of the governorship poll of the state
According to Mallam Lanre Issa-Onila, National Publicity Secretary of the party, INEC, in the Bauchi case, the Commission violated “the Guidelines for 2019 General Elections,” as “ the electoral body is not empowered to reverse any decision taken at the Collation Centre by the Returning Officer”.
It accused the Kano Commissioner of Police, Wakil Mohammed of skewing security watch in favour of the PDP, during the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly polls, even though it declares that the party would win the re-run poll in the state because “Kano is APC state”, just as Bauchi.
The electoral process was also suspended in Rivers state in a very fraudulent circumstance, the party said, while in Benue, it claimed that contest between Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP and Barr Emmanuel Jime of the APC is riddled with electoral malpractices that returned “a bogus lead of over 81,000 votes”, for the PDP
Claiming that card readers were unused in places like Logo, Gwer-West, Vandeikya, Guma, Buruku and Gboko Local governments while zero votes were recorded for the party in Guma, “a local government predominated by the APC,”
it said there is no doubt that its candidate, Bar Emmanuel Jime obtained the highest number of legitimate votes obtained with the usage of the card reader.
On Rivers State, it said: “We are concerned and deeply troubled by the unfolding events in Rivers State. The APC strongly condemns this horrid dance in Rivers State. This unholy alliance between Governor Nyesom Wike, PDP and INEC is to prevent Rivers people from electing a candidate of their choice by imposing Wike, the PDP candidate on them. It was glaring that Wike was losing until INEC stepped in to halt the process apparently to save Wike from impending defeat. INEC must put a halt to this madness and brazen illegality.
“We call on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to immediately redeploy Mr. Effanga from Rivers State in order to avoid crisis that may follow
The party, sounding sure of victory in Plateau where Governor Simon Lalong is leading with over 20,000 votes, the party “urged our members, supporters and indeed the entire Plateau electorate not to be complacent, but remain focused as we prepare for the supplementary election that will give our performing candidate, Governor Simon Lalong a second term in office to consolidate on his first-term achievement.”
It blamed its misfortunes in Kano on the doorstep of the “Kano State Police Commissioner actively assisted the opposition PDP to rig inside Kano city with the deployment of police security for Rabiu Kwankwaso loyalists while state commissioner’s orderlies were withdrawn.
“Kano remains an APC state. With the massive votes garnered by our presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari; the entire incoming 9th National Assembly positions – 3 Senators and 24 House of Representatives – won by the APC in Kano State; 27 State House of Assembly seats won by the APC out of 39 and governorship election victories in all local governments outside Kano metropolitan, there is no doubt that Kano State is a stronghold and key support base of the APC.
“The APC’s visible achievements in Kano state under Governor Abdullahi Ganduje are enough to give the party an emphatic victory in the rerun election. Again, the rerun will be mostly in APC-controlled rural areas and Nasarawa local government area where our Deputy Governor, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna is from. Undoubtedly, Kano state remains an APC stronghold and remains in our firm control.
Sokoto it said “is a strong APC state. This rubbishes the suspicious and apparently stolen results ascribed to the PDP governorship candidate.
Alleging that “ the PDP candidate and state governor, Aminu Tambuwal used thugs and fake security agents to scare voters in the state and gave PDP agents a free and field day to rig and manipulate the governorship election”, it asserts though the party is aware “how the huge monies were used to buy votes and how complicit INEC officials disenfranchised APC members by purporting that card readers machines stopped working in APC strongholds, the forthcoming supplementary election in Sokoto state gives the APC; our governorship candidate, Aliyu Ahmed and indeed the Sokoto electorate and an opportunity claim our mandate”
Sokoto state is ready for the Next Level, we must not allow unpopular elements in the state and their backers in the discredited PDP to steal their mandate and subvert the will of the Sokoto electorate.
“In Adamawa, the party had reported over-voting and use of security personnel to intimidate APC agents and supporters. While we are confident of our party and candidate Governor Jibrilla Bindow’s victory ahead of the supplementary election in the state, we urge all stakeholders to avoid actions that can plunge the state into crisis…” it concluded
