Taraba APGA lawmaker narrates challenges after victory at the polls

By Okerafor Athanasius

All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) lawmaker, Hon. Anas Shuaibu Didango representing Karim II Constituency at the Taraba State House of Assembly, said his victory at the polls was faced with numerous challenges since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him winner of the March 18, 2023 elections.

Hon. Didango, who described himself as the only APGA lawmaker across the northern states of Nigeria said it was divine intervention that he participated in the election.

Speaking with reporters in Jalingo, the state capital, he described his victory as a miracle . He said INEC later declared the result as inconclusive which resulted in a supplementary election that was conducted by the electoral umpire on 15th April, 2023.

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“INEC, after the Supplementary Election, declared me as the winner and member-elect of the Constituency under APGA.

“After being declared the winner, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate challenged my victory at the Tribunal sitting in Jalingo. The Tribunal after the processes affirmed my victory as the duly elected winner of the election.

“On 30th day of October, 2023, I was also taken to the Court of Appeal by the same PDP candidate, and the Appeal Court also affirmed my victory as the duly elected member of the State Assembly to represent the people of Karim II Constituency”, he said.

Hon. Didango, who thanked Governor Agbu Kefas for all inclusiveness despite political differences applauded his supporters and the entire people of Karim II Constituency for supporting him.

He however, called on his opponent the PDP candidate whom he described as his senior brother to join him work for the welfare of the people of Karim II State Constituency.

In his reaction to the Appeal Court verdict, the Tribunal and INEC declaration in favour of Didango, the PDP candidate for Karim II Constituency, Hon. Bendu Bobbo said the election that brought Anas Shuaibu Didango as the member representing Karim II Constituency was characterized with violence and other electoral mal-practices.

He emphasized that though there was a re-run, but such couldn’t have risen had it being that the supporters of the APGA candidate didn’t cause trouble during the election.

“I was clearly ahead of everybody at the Collation Centre. So, after the commotion, guns, cutlasses, the supporters broke the windows of the Collation Centre, they broke the tables and threatened the life of the Returning Officer at gun point.

“So, the Returning Officer was forced under duress to put over voted figures which was over 2,000 to 3,000. From the calculation, I was leading, the second person was the candidate of the APC, the third was the SDP person while the 4th position was the APGA person. So, after forcing the Retuning Officer and INEC Staff, they put in over-voting figures, put him ahead of me with about 400 votes but that was done under duress.

“I call on my supporters to be patient because he is just like my son and we belong to the same community”, he added.