Intrigues as PDP, APC re-enact rivalry at rerun polls

In this report, OLAYINKA OLUKOYA and KOLA OYELERE write on the battle of wits that underlined the January 25 recent rerun and supplementary elections held across the country.

 

FOR the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC), last Saturday rerun and supplementary elections across 11 states in the country presented an opportunity to consolidate on the diverse experience and gains from the 2019 general election. The elections took place in 28 constituencies Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Ogun and Sokoto states. The polls came about two months after the commission conducted the governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states.

The leadership of the commission met on Monday to appraise the conduct of the rerun and supplementary elections that arose from the conduct of the 2019 general election, with the top functionaries of the INEC providing a detailed account about what happened in a number of places where the polls held on January 25. Though it admitted that there were hiccups in a couple of places, the commission said it was able to conclude the elections in many places and declared the winners. According to a communique signed by the National Commissioner in charge of Information and Public Orientation, Festus Okoye, results were, however, cancelled in Akwa Ibom State due to the electoral banditry identified in the affected polling units.

The communique stated that there were cases of misconduct and disruption of the electoral process in four of the 28 constituencies where elections were conducted across the country. The affected constituencies included Oru East/Orsu/Orlu Federal Constituency of Imo State; Essien Udim Local Government Area, Akwa-Ibom State; Abi State Constituency of Cross River State and Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The commission explained that results were declared in Sokoto, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states because ”the widespread violence did not significantly affect the overall results, just the INEC said it suspended the process in Imo State “because thugs disrupted the collation of results at the designated centre in Orlu.” According to the commission, the suspension was in furtherance to the provisions of Paragraph 47(f) of its Regulations and Guidelines “that in the event of such a disruption, saved original and duplicate result sheets be used to complete the collation of results.”

Ogun

The rerun poll held in Ogun State was preceded by battle of wits and intrigues by some notable politicians in the major political parties: the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressices Congress (APC). Nonetheless, the re-run election ordered by Appeal Court into the Ijebu-Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North-East Federal Constituency was hitch-free, as voters turned out in their numbers to vote for the candidates of the APC, Kolapo Osunsanya and Mr Taiwo Shote of the PDP. The election was conducted in 13 polling units across the constituency and at the end of the exercise, Osunsanya emerged the winner. One of the remarkable things about the poll was the urge by the winner to return to the House of Representatives. Of course, he enjoyed the backing of the powerbrokers in the APC to guarantee the victory of the APC candidate. So, Osunsanya polled 25,959 votes to defeat Shote who had 21,911 votes. The Returning Officer in charge of the election, Professor Charles Onwuka, of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), declared the APC candidate as the winner, at the Ijebu-Ode Grammar School Collation centre for the federal constituency, having fulfilled the necessary constitutional requirements.

Akwa Ibom

The INEC in Akwa Ibom State said that despite the successful conduct of the re-run, it was not without violence and electoral banditry, reminiscence of what happened in 2019 in the same Essien Udim Local Council. A statement signed by the REC, Mr. Mike Igini, and made available to newsmen in Uyo, said the show of shame and disappointment exhibited in 2019 were in action by the same actors. He said what the commission achieved during the re-run was as a result of co-operative efforts of the security agencies, especially Police.

The PDP won in all the re-run elections ordered by the Court of Appeal in Essien Udom Local Council in Akwa Ibom State. The re-run was for the Senate, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly. The Returning Officer, Professor Robert Dode, who announced the senatorial result at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation centre in Ikot Ekpene, said that Ekpenyong polled 19,924 in Essien Udim, bringing his total votes to 134,717 to defeat Senator Godswill Akpabio who scored 6,903 aggregating only 83,820 votes in total.

Cross River

Dr. Alex Egbona of the APC emerged winner of the Abi \Yakurr Federal Constituency re-run election in Cross River State.  According to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the state, Dr. Alalibo Johnson, Egbona scored a total of 29,716 votes to defeat John Gaul of the PDP who got 26,039 votes in the rerun that was conducted in Ekureku 1 and 2 wards in Abi Local Council. Also, Mrs. Marian Odinaka Onuoha of the APC has been declared winner of the re -run election held in Onuimo/ Okigwe / Isiala Mbano Federal Constituency at the weekend, defeating other 27 candidates. According to the Returning Officer, Onuoha scored 23,690 votes to defeat Obinna Kingsley Onwubuariri of the PDP in the second position, who polled 10,010 votes.

Imo

The candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), Uju Jovita Onwudiwe was declared the winner of the Njaba State Constituency supplementary election in Imo State. According to INEC, Onwudiwe scored 6,142 votes, while Charles Abia of the PDP came second with 5,487 votes. The result from Orlu/Orsu/Oru East Federal Constituency is being awaited while some youths, suspected to be political thugs, invaded the collation centre and tore the result sheets during the supplementary election in Orlu/Orsu/Oru West Federal Constituency in Imo State, causing serious panic and leading to the halting of the collation process.

Sokoto

In a similar vein, INEC declared Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi and Sa’idu Bargaja of the PDP as the winners of the re-run elections for Sokoto North/Sokoto South and Isa/Sabon-Birni Federal Constituencies of Sokoto State. According to agency reports, while Abdullahi scored 68,985 votes, Bargaja defeated his closest opponent of the APC with 44,490. The INEC Returning Officer for Gamawa Local Council, Dr. Abubakar Mohammed, declared Ahmed Madaki Gololo of the PDP as winner of Gamawa Federal Constituency re-run poll with 21,223 votes.

Bauchi

In Zaki Federal Constituency of Bauchi State where the supplementary election was held, the INEC Returning Officer, Professor Ahmad Kutama, declared Auwal Jatau of the PDP winner having scored 15,405 votes.

Kaduna

Comfort Amwe of the PDP won the Sanga Constituency re-run election in Kaduna State. According to the Returning Officer, Dr. Sani Sadiq Kubau, Amwe scored 19,815 votes to defeat her opponent, Haliru Gambo of the APC, who polled 19,688 votes. Nuhu Shadalafiya of the APC won the re-run poll in Kagarko Constituency with 24,658 votes, according to the Returning Officer, Dr. Haruna Aminu.

Kano

The re-run election especially for the House of Representatives was as a result of a court judgment that nullified the election of a former leader of House, Honourable Ado Alhassan Doguwa, representing Doguwa /Tundunwada Federal Constituency. The poll was between him and a former lawmaker representing Kiru/Bebeji federal constituency, Abdulmumin Jibrin DanKofa. However, Honourable Ado Doguwa eventually triumphed over his opponent by 66 ,667 voters to 6, 323 votes got by Air Commodore Yusahu Salisu (retd) of the PDP. Honourable Alhaji Aliyu Datti Yako, a former commissioner for local government, during the former governor of Senator Ibrahim Shakarau, polled 48,601 votes to beat Kofa, who got 13,587 votes.

Doguwa, who expressed satisfaction over the impressive turnout of voters during the re-run, said it was an indication that the people of his constituency were anxious to see him retain his seat at the National Assembly. He thanked the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila and other members of the House for their support, saying he was overwhelmed that more than 29 members came to Kano in solidarity with him.

However, DanKofa while reacting to the outcome of the re-run election, decried alleged injustice against his people. He issued a statement on the conduct of the poll. It read: “The Kiru/Bebeji re-run election was held on Saturday 25th January, 2020 as scheduled. My constituents came out en mass to exercise their civic responsibility but were denied their franchise to vote the candidate and party of their choice through the application of maximum force in all the wards of our constituency except my home town of Kofa Bebeji that proved impenetrable. We know we won the election fairy and squarely but our mandate was stolen.”