Taraba: APC Carpets INEC, Seeks Fresh Collation

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State has demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should set aside its declaration that the governorship election in the state was inconclusive. According to the APC, what ought to be done was for INEC to cancel the results of 11 Local Government Areas, where large scale electoral fraud allegedly took place, after which, a fresh collation should be done and a winner declared.
National Chairman of the party, Chief John Adigie-Oyegun, made the demand in Abuja, yesterday. Oyegun spoke during a press briefing by the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Senator Aisha Alhassan, on the botched election.
He explained that after receiving briefings from its candidate in the race, it was convinced that there was a high powered conspiracy by “powers that be” to thwart the will of Taraba people, who voted massively for Alhassan. In response to the APC allegation, Taraba State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Emmanuel Bello, dismissed the allegations leveled against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “The APC is only being jittery and desperate because it knows that it can’t win this election in a predominantly PDP state like Taraba,” Bello said.
Earlier, Alhassan had said the APC was only demanding justice because it was evident that the outcome of the election in the affected local government areas was fraudulent. She said, “INEC should set aside the declaration of inconclusive result for Taraba State. The results of all the areas affected by irregularities in the 11 local governments should be cancelled out rightly, after which a fresh collation should be done and a winner declared. The APC candidate said the affected local governments areas are Wukari, Kurmi, Yorro, Karim Lamido, Ardo Kola, Sardauna, Zing, Bali, Lau, Donga and Takum.