Bauchi supplementary polls: 22, 641 registered voters expected to vote 

AS the electorate in Bauchi State continues to wait for the resolution of the stalemated gubernatorial election in Bauchi State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Bauchi State has released the schedule for the supplementary elections which will hold in the State on Saturday, 23rd March 2019.

The schedule, obtained from the INEC office in Bauchi State, indicated that the rerun will hold in 36 Polling Units in 29 Registration Areas (wards) scattered across 15 of the 20 Local Government Areas of Bauchi State.

It further showed that a total of 22, 641 registered voters are expected to participate in the exercise.

Recall that the Returning Officer of the elections in Bauchi State, Prof Kyari Mohammed, had early hours of Monday, 11th March 2019, declared the Governorship election in the state as inconclusive.

According to him, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Sen. Bala Mohammed got 469, 512 votes to lead his closest rival, the incumbent Governor, Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress, who got 465, 453 votes.

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He said that the margin of lead between the two candidates is 4, 059 votes just as he also said that the number of cancelled votes in the elections even without that of Tafawa Balewa LGA is 45, 312, therefore declared that based on Section 26 (53) of the Electoral Act, the elections in Bauchi State is inconclusive, and directed INEC to conduct re-run elections in the affected LGAs within 21 days.

But an investigative committee led by the National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, sent from the INEC Headquarters, Festus Okoye, during its three days assignment in the state, discovered that the cancelled votes in Ningi LGA were 2, 533 and not 25, 330 during the collation.

The INEC Headquarters, following the recommendation of the Okoye-led Committee, directed that the error of the 22, 797 cancelled votes in the LGA be corrected and deducted from the 45, 240 votes earlier announced.

The breakdown of the areas affected and the number of registered voters  according to the document, showed that:

Alkaleri -1 ward – 1 – PU – 1,190 reg. voters

Bogoro – 1 ward – 1 – PU – 1,130 reg. voters

Darazo – 3 wards- 4 PUs – 2,746 reg. voters

Dass    – 1 ward  – 1 PU –   872    reg. voters

Gamawa 1 ward – 1 PU –   405   reg. voters

Ganjuwa 2wards -2PUs – 1,306 reg. voters

Giade – 4 wards – 4PUs -1, 899  reg. voters

Itas Gadau 1ward-3PUs – 2,252 reg. voters

Jama’are 2wards – 2PUs – 829 reg. voters

Katagum 2 wards -3PUs – 2,055 reg. voters

Kirfi    –  2 wards  2PUs – 1,111 reg. voters

Misau  – 1 ward – 1 PU  – 1, 007 reg. voters

Ningi  –  4 wards – 5PUs – 2, 533 reg. voters

Shira –  1 ward –  1 PU  –  438 reg. voters

Toro  – 3 wards – 4PUs – 2, 868 reg. voters