Bauchi: APC faults INEC’s declaration to complete process this week

THE declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to complete the collation process of the Bauchi State governorship election this week has been faulted by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement issued on Saturday by Festus Okoye, the INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education, the electoral umpire had reversed its earlier declaration that the Bauchi state governorship election was inconclusive.

Okoye in the statement said its fact-finding team sent to Bauchi State discovered that the result in Polling Units and Registration Areas in Tafawa Balewa local government areas which were tampered with by hoodlums were  available and in safe custody.

The fact finding team further established that  Local Government Result Sheet (EC8C) which was destroyed by the hoodlums had since been “regenerated from duplicate copies on a replacement result sheet.”

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Consequently, it resolved that the Collation process for Tafawa Balewa Local Government would resume tomorrow, Tuesday, 19th March 2019.

But speaking with newsmen in Abuja, deputy national publicity secretary of the APC, Yekeen Nabena,  dismissed INEC new position as an evil plot.

He said his party has rejected the decision taken by the INEC on the governorship election results from Tafawa Balewa local government area.

He claimed that the electoral umpire recant on its earlier declaration that the Bauchi state governorship election was inconclusive, contravened the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

He said: “Considering the letters and spirit of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended), and the INEC Guidelines for 2019 General Elections, INEC is not empowered to reverse any decision taken at the Collation Center by the Returning Officer appointed for that purpose.

“Such decisions can only be reversed by a Court of law, especially when INEC cannot approbate and reprobate.”

The APC chieftain further accused INEC of denying it fair hearing as he claimed that polling agents of the APC were not invited during the hearing to ascertain the circumstances leading to the cancellation of the Tafawa Balewa local government election result.