Governorship/Assembly Election: Uproar as INEC declares Adamawa guber poll inconclusive
*Anxiety in Abia, Enugu, Zamfara
*APC wins 15 states, PDP 7, NNPP 1
TUNDE OPALANA, TOM OKPE, AND TOM GARBA
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Saturday’s governorship election in Adamawa State ‘inconclusive’.
The returning officer, Prof Mohammed Mele, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of the University of Maiduguri while announcing the total votes scored by the two major political parties said the APC and PDP respectively scored 390,275, 421,524.
He declared the election inconclusive on the grounds that total number of PVC collected in areas where election were to be rerun which is over 47,000 outnumbered the differences in the votes scored by Governor Fintiri and Senator Binani.
Prof. Mele escaped the beating of his life in his efforts to name areas where rerun took place and give reasons for the election to be inconclusive.
He was whisked away to the airport by a convoy of security agencies around 7:30 Monday evening to escape a possible attack.
There has been tension in Adamawa over the delay in announcing the results of Fofure Local Government. The PDP had accused the APC party candidate of doctoring the results of all the eleven wards in Fofure and later foiled by security agencies.
Even though Mele was unable to announce the areas or wards, or units to where elections are to be re-conducted, our correspondent gathered that a ward with seven thousand votes in Numan Local Government may likely fall within the areas for the election to be rerun.
Already, there seems to be rising tension in many parts of Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas over the declaration by the Returning Officer.
Security agencies are however giving red alert warnings to those trying to break the law and order in all parts of the state
Reaction from PDP:
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said by declaring the result inconclusive, INEC has again failed integrity test following the alleged manipulation of the February 25 presidential election.
The party demanded that the electoral body should declare its candidates , Ahmadu Fintiri as winner in Adamawa State as well as Ashiru Kudan in Kaduna and David Ombugadu in Nasarawa states.
The PDP national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, while addressing the press in Abuja before the declaration in Yola said “from the results obtained by our Party and Independent Observers directly from the Polling Units, the PDP recorded sweeping victory in most of the States where the elections held.
“Sadly, the announced results are not reflecting voter choices. Once more, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has failed the integrity test. Its officials have connived with chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)and security agents to swindle the PDP out of its deserving electoral victories.
“Of particular note is the brazen plot by the APC and INEC to alter the results of the Adamawa State Governorship election already won by the PDP Candidate, Gov. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, and give undeserving victory to the candidate of the APC. This is unacceptable. It is the rape of democracy, a frustration of the popular will. We will not accept such a travesty of justice.
“The same scenario has already played out in Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kebbi and Sokoto states, among others. In all these states, the illegal use of security agents to tip electoral victories in favour of the much-discredited APC was massive. We invite the INEC National Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu to immediately do the needful.
“The ongoing brazen attempt to alter the electoral outcome in Adamawa state is particularly shocking. In spite of the manipulations i.e. switching, doctoring and altering of figures by the APC and INEC, after the final tabulation, our Candidate still defeated the APC candidate with over 35,000 clear and undisputable votes. But INEC is hell-bent on denying the PDP victory.
“The PDP cautions INEC not to invest in chaos by engaging in this nefarious act. We remind INEC that the people of Adamawa State already have the results of the election from all the Polling Units in the State. They are aware that the PDP candidate won with about 35,000 votes; and as such, they will never accept any fictitious electoral outcomes generated from INEC’s offices in Abuja.
“The people of Adamawa State have spoken loudly and clearly in re-electing Governor Fintiri. They are already agitating over the unwarranted delay by INEC in announcing him winner in line with the results obtained from the Polling Units. We say to INEC: Don’t invest in anarchy.”
However, before the declaration, the APC had alerted Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, and security agencies of alleged plots by the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) to disrupt final collation and announcement of result of the governorship election in Adamawa State.
According to APC, the election results show a clear and decisive victory for Aishatu Dahiru, (Binani) the party’s governorship candidate.
Felix Morka, National publicity secretary of APC said this in a statement titled: “Adamawa Governorship Election – Executive Brigandage Must not Prevail Against Will of the People.”
Morka alleged that, faced with imminent and certain prospect of loss in the election, thugs and political actors led by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and candidate of the PDP have unleashed heavily armed thugs to disrupt further collation of result and subvert the will of Adamawa people as expressed at the polls.
“We draw urgent attention of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and our security services to massive thuggery, violence, intimidation and undue pressure by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calculated to disrupt final collation and announcement of result of the Governorship election in Adamawa State.
“Election results show a clear and decisive victory for Senator Aishatu Dahiru (Binani), the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate. Faced with imminent and certain prospect of loss in the election, thugs and political actors led by incumbent Governor, and Candidate of the PDP, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, have unleashed heavily armed thugs to disrupt further collation of result and subvert the will of Adamawa people as expressed at the polls.
“The Governor is reported to have torn result sheets at the collation centre in a show of unprecedented impunity and executive brigandage.
“We are well aware of the massive pressure on INEC and law enforcement authorities to cave in to the inordinate demands of the PDP to subvert final collation and announcement of result.
“However, we are supremely confident that INEC and our law enforcement authorities will stand firm and conclude the election process in the State as required by law, he said.
The APC spokesperson warned that the result of election in Fufore Local Government Area of the state must not be tampered with as Binani holds a clear, unassailable lead, only awaiting final collation and declaration by INEC.
He further stressed that; “Nigeria is on the cusp of a major democratic record with the election and emergence of the first female Governor of a State in the country.”
Morka urged all well-meaning Nigerians to stand together, “protect and uphold this historic victory for women and our country,” he said.
Meanwhile, from results declared so far, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) takes the lead in 15 out of the 28 states where governorship elections were held last Saturday.
The party won in Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Benue, Katsina, Yobe, Jigawa , Ebonyi, Cross River, Kebbi, Sokoto, Gombe, Nasarawa, Niger and Borno states.
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The Peoples Democratic Party won in Oyo, Bauchi, Rivers, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Akwa Ibom. The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) won in Kano State.
The Electoral management body was yet to declare results in Zamfara, Kaduna, Enugu, Abia states, where anxiety has been mounting over the suspension of the collation exercise.
Governorship election did not hold in states like Edo, Kogi, Imo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Bayelsa and Anambra.
