Bauchi PDP rejects INEC’s declaration of guber election inconclusive

AS reactions continue to trail the declaration of the outcome of the gubernatorial election in Bauchi State as inconclusive by INEC, the State chapter of the main opposition party in the country, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has categorically rejected the decision of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State and the State Returning Officer to declare the Bauchi State Governorship election as inconclusive saying that it has thrown the state into “unprecedented confusion, tension and anger.”

Chairman of the party in the state, Alhaji Hamza Koshe Akuyam, condemned INEC’s declaration in a press conference held at the NUJ Secretariat in Bauchi on Monday, saying that the decision came at a time the exercise was at its final stage when it became clear that “our party was heading for historic victory.”

Hamza Akuyam in a statement he read on behalf of the party called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Yakoub Mahmood to compel the two officers to return to the Collation Centre and complete the process of return of the governorship election.

He lamented that the State Returning Officer, Professor Kyari Mohammed “without any prompting, complaint or request whatsoever” abruptly terminated the returns of the governorship election even as the Local Government Returning Officer, Mrs Dominion Anosike had confirmed on tape that the elections had been peaceful, free and fair.”

The PDP Chairman, who was in the company of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and top members of the party including serving Senators and chieftains, stated that the PDP rejected the decision at an emergency meeting and assured that the PDP was exploring all legal options to “expeditiously return the people’s mandate within the shortage possible time.”

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The PDP Chairman further lamented and alleged that the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police and the Officer Commanding Rapid Response Squad (RRS) “personally masterminded the physical assault of our members and supporters, including the most recent incident where the PDP Returning Officer was molested and manhandled by the Police Commissioner.”

He also stated that the party has lost confidence in the ability of the police to treat opposition parties with respect and demanded their “unconditional removal.”

He said that the party demands that the REC and the Commissioner of Police should be redeployed from Bauchi State as they are “evidently bias and partisan.”

He said the party also resolved that Mrs Dominion Anosike, the Returning Officer for Tafawa Balewa, who is also a lecturer with the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, be prosecuted “for false information and perjury.”

“Let me assure the public that the PDP will spare no effort to reclaim the mandate which was freely given to us by the people of Bauchi State on 9th March 2019. I also urge all the people of Bauchi State to remain calm and peaceful,” he added.

In a swift response to the PDP allegations in a press conference, the Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Ahmed Uba Nana, hailed INEC for the decision saying that t was legal.

Uba Nana said: “It is what is supposed to be. If you look at it, a whole local government election cancelled. The margin was nothing to write home about if you compare it with the registered voters it is clear”.

The APC Chairman, in turn, accused the PDP of crying foul unnecessarily, saying, “If you have somebody who is used to committing an offence, he will run to the police station. The lady alleged that she was put under security threat. She wrote the result under duress. I would like to call on the security agencies to probe it and whosoever is found guilty should face the wrath of the law”.

“The result that was purported was it in favour of the APC? They did it and they are trying to cover up. They maltreated the lady and compelled her to write the result in favour of PDP. Whatsoever happened there, the purported results in whose favour was it written? Commonsense will tell you where they were heading”, he added.

On the rerun, the APC Chairman expressed confidence that the ruling party will retain power adding: “I am calling on APC members to be calm and patient enough. The decision of INEC is quiet in order. They should be calm and prepare for the day that INEC will announce. Our people are always law abiding. They should be law-abiding as usual because APC believes in the rule of law. We don’t promote impunity. We call on them to be law abiding and by God’s grace we will make it on that day”.

It will be recalled that the State Returning Officer of the elections, Prof Kyari Mohammed, on Sunday declared that the election in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state was inconclusive.

According to him, the PDP candidate, Senator Bala Mohammed, polled a total of 469,512 votes to defeat his closest rival, the incumbent Governor, Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress, who polled a total of 465,453 votes.

He had said that the margin between the two candidates were 4,059 votes, having cancelled the votes of Tafawa Balewa LG which had been 139,240.

Kyari Mohammed added that the number of cancelled votes in the elections, even without that of Tafawa Balewa LGA, was 45,312 and had declared: “I, therefore, based on Section 26 (53) of the Electoral Act, declare the elections in Bauchi State as inconclusive.”

He also directed INEC to conduct a re-run election in the affected LGA within the next 21 days.