Taraba guber: Police, military clash at INEC office delayed results collation, NNPP chieftain writes Supreme Court, seeks justice
By Stephen Gbadamosi
A Chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has explained that a clash between the police and the military at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Taraba State on 20th March, 2023 led to the delay in results’ collation during the governorship election in the state.
In an open letter of appeal to the Supreme Court, which he issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists, Ajadi said the Supreme Court should, in the spirit of decency, decorum, discipline and sanity, declare Professor Yahaya Muhammed Bello of NNPP as the winner of the last governorship election.
Ajadi, who was the Ogun State gubernatorial candidate of the NNPP in 2023 election, said during the collation period, the NNPP sent a written complaint on Wukari result, claiming over voting and results in variance with the results in iRev and accredited voters on BVAS and calling for a review.
He added that during the collation, the complaint was discussed based on the Electoral Act 2022 64(5) for possible review at collation level, because the results were alleged to have been doctored.
READ ALSO: Gov Kefas brings peace, stability, prosperity to..
He said after lengthy deliberation, the INEC Legal Officer explained that the review would only be done in Abuja after the Application for Review.
Ajadi said, however, that the review was jettisoned in Abuja, as the INEC declared Kefas Agbu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner, without reviewing the result as being applied for by the NNPP.
He said based on what transpired at the election, the Supreme Court should declare the party’s governorship candidate in Taraba state, Professor Bello as the winner of the March 18, 2023 election.
Ajadi said Professor Muhammad Ahmad AbdulAziz, who was the Returning and Collation Officer in the Taraba Governorship Election, in his report, said “that election took place in all the 16 local government areas of the state on the 18th and 19th March, 2023; that the results were collated at various levels; that the collation at the state level started on Sunday, 19th March 2023, and ended in the early hours of Tuesday, the 21st March, 2023.
“That there was shooting between the police and military attached to the INEC office on 20th March, 2023 which delayed the collation of results.
“That the collation resumed around 5:00 p.m. the same day with a lot of tension; during the collation, we received written complaint from NNPP on Wukari result, claiming over-voting and in variance with the results in iRev and accredited voters on BVAS; that during the collation, the complaint was discussed based on the Electoral Act 2022 64(5) for possible review at collation level; that the results were alleged to be doctored. The Electoral Act 2022 64(6) was difficult to be implemented under duress and tension.
“After lengthy deliberations, the INEC Legal Officer explained to us that the review would only be done in Abuja after Application for Review.
“It is based on the above observations, I write to request for the review of Taraba State governorship election result; this is as a result of the conviction that good leaders can only emerge through credible and transparent election and the oath taken to be neutral.”
He added that from the report of the Returning Officer, it was audible to the deaf and visible to the blind that the NNPP and its candidate, Professor Yahaya Muhammed Bello, won the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Taraba State, having scored the highest number of lawful votes.
He also said the testimony that was given by the Collation and Returning Officer for the Election in Taraba State in his protest and complaint letter to INEC, which was backed by INEC Legal Adviser, showed that the NNPP candidate won.
Ajadi said the decision of the INEC to announce the result in Abuja without carrying out the review brought a lot of doubt, skepticism and questions which led to the decision of NNPP and its candidate to “approach the Temple of Justice in Nigeria.”
“Election must be done in a decent, peaceful and transparent manner that must be acceptable by all, not through the gun shooting, undue duress and tension, as alleged by the Collation and Returning Officer of INEC in the Taraba State.
“It is worthy of note that the electorate have the right to choose their leaders through a transparent electoral process without being under duress and tension as well as getting their results doctored in favour of another interest group or party.
“The leadership of NNPP is appealing to the Apex Court to restore the hope of Nigerians in the electoral system and electoral process by giving critical look into the complaints of the good people of Taraba State who lawfully and genuinely voted for Yahaya Muhammed Bello of the NNPP as governor during the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state. This will, to a large extent, normalise our electoral system and process and sanitise it reasonably for future elections,” he said.
