Kaduna LG poll: APC sweeps 15 seats, PDP 4

…PDP rejects poll results, alleges KADSIECOM complicity in electoral fraud
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has won in 15 out of the 23 local government areas of the state, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won 4 local government areas.

According to results announced by the Returning officers, APC won in Soba, Zaria, Lere, Ikara, Makarfi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Kagarko, Kudan, Igabi, Kajuru and Kaduna North, Kubau, Kaduna South and Sabon Gari local government areas, while, the PDP won in Zango Kataf, Kauru, Sanga and Kachia local government areas.

Results were still being awaited in Jema’a, and Chikun, while the results of two local governments of Jaba and Kaura were cancelled as a result of security breaches. It was gathered that a new date will be fixed for the local government election in the two local governments.

The local government election was characterised with late arrival of election materials while in some other areas there were hitches with the Electronic Voting Machine s (EVM).

Some electorate alleged that some of the local governments were rigged in favour of the ruling APC, while members of PDP in Kagarko local government stormed the secretariate of the NUJ with result sheets printed from the EVM which indicates that the PDP won but results was announced in favour of the APC.

Similar complaints were made in Kajuru, Kaduna North and some local governments in Northern senatorial district.

The Daily Times recalls that 31 political parties boycotted the local government elections on grounds of allegatuons that plans have been perfected to rig the election in favour of the ruling party.

As at the ime of filing this report, there was reported tension in Jema’a local government area were results from eight wards was being awaited.

The returning officers in Zaria local government chairmanship election said APC polled 42,859, while PDP scored 16,033; in Soba chairmanship election, APC had 40,903, while PDP polled 13,835; in Makarfi, Returning Officer, Dr. Musa Abdullahi Mohammed said APC polled 22,190, while PDP polled 13,088.

APC also won in Giwa local government area polling 57, 005 to beat PDP who had 2,636.APC won in Kudan local government, with 76,131 to win the chairmanship against PDP who scored 3,394.

On his part, the returning officer Kaduna North local government area, Umar Hayatu, while announcing the results of polls, said that APC chairmanship candidate, Alhaji Saleh Shuaibu, polled 168,572 votes to win in Kaduna North, beating the PDP candidate, Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Babayaro, who polled 12,467 votes.

The Peoples Redemption Party candidate polled 4,956 votes. Kaduna North is the local government of Governor Nasir el-Rufai.

The governor won the Unguwar Sarki ward convincingly, polling 14,863, while PDP scored 706. The result analysis shows that in the Governor’s polling unit, APC polled 65 votes, while PDP had 50 votes for chairman in his ward, APC polled 68 votes for councillor, while PDP won 45 votes.

APC also won in Makarfi local government, the council of former PDP chairman and Kaduna state governor, Senator Ahmad Mohammed Makarfi.

Results in the other councils are still being awaited.

Meanwhile, the PDP has rejected the results of Saturday’s council polls in Kaduna State over what it described as highly provocative fraud and completely indefensible alteration of final results that gave the APC false victory in areas clearly won by the PDP.

The party also accused the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM) of altering the results in favour of APC even in areas where the PDP popularly won in the state.

Relying on information from the reports of results at the polling centres, the party said it was clear that the PDP defeated the APC in most of the areas where elections held across the state, including Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s ward where the PDP led with over 90% percent of the votes cast.

“Such daylight robbery by the APC is absolutely unacceptable, particularly, given the precarious security situation in the state”, said the party in a statement issued 0n Sunday by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan.

“It is totally intolerable for KADSIECOM, working in cahoots with the discredited APC, to engage in the manipulation of the collation process by changing the figures and announcing final results that are different from figures tallied at the polling centres.

“We have preponderance of instances where final electoral officers were whisked away to unknown destinations by agents of Kaduna State government, aided by security agencies, while fake results are being announced in favour of the APC.

“For instance, while voters and party agents were still waiting for the return of electoral officer, Mr. Elisha Gandu at the Kajuru Local Government secretariat where results from polling centres show that the PDP won 9 out of the 10 wards, the Nagarta Radio was busy announcing APC as winner.

“This is the situation in most of the final results so far announced by the commission and we cannot accept such.

“We want the APC and KADSIECOM to note that the PDP has eyes everywhere, monitored the entire balloting processes at all levels and know directly how all the parties, including our great party, the PDP performed in all the polling centr3s across Kaduna state”, the party stressed.

Consequently, the PDP cautioned the Chairman of KADSIECOM, Dr. Saratu Binta Dikko-Audu, to save the state from avoidable stress by resisting the APC, withdrawing all altered final results and announcing only results that reflect the actual wishes of the people as expressed in the ballot.

“KADSIECOM Chairman must note that the entire world is watching and history beckons as she makes her decision to stand either on the side of truth, justice and honour or on the side of corruption, treachery and infamy”, PDP insisted

Also, State Chairman of PDP and one time Minister of State for Aviation, Hon. Felix Hassan Hyet, alleged that his party was shortchanged, and the party will contest the results in court.

The Kaduna PDP Chairman while briefing journalists at the party secretariat in Kaduna on Sunday, said the party will soon release its field results of the elections.

He alleged that his party has been shortchanged in the results announced so far in the 13 local government areas of the state. He said the party agents have submitted reports and they will follow legal means to address the injustices he claimed meted on them.

Hyet further claimed that most of the results announced so far were through radio stations rather than the returning officers whom he alleged disappeared.

The PDP state chairman, while calling on supporters to remain calm, said the manufacturers of the electronic voting machines supposed to have stayed in Kaduna to monitor the machines to avoid malfunction in some polling units.

Hyet, however, alleged that some electronic voting machines were snatched to unknown destinations.

He said: “We call on you to brief you on the update of the local election results of 13 local government so far released. Some local government results were not announced by the returning officers but radio stations.

At the moment we have some local government areas like Kaduna South, Chikun, Kajuru, Jema, Kagarko, Sanga, still awaiting to be announced as the returning officers are no where to be found.

The returning officers have disappeared completely. Even, some wards returning officers also disappeared,” the Kaduna State PDP chairman alleged.

“We are waiting for the returning officers to come out and announce the results in local government areas yet to be announced. Our agents have submitted the results to us and we will take necessary legal steps to address the injustices.

The manufacturers of the machines would have been on ground to monitor the machines. Humans are that ones operating the machines.

“We will soon make our reports collected from our field agents public. We believe as a party, we will take over power in 2019 because Nigerians have said good bye to APC,” Hyet added.