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The ruling New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) has rejected the result of Saturday’s supplementary election in Ghari/Tsanyawa state assembly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) earlier Sunday declared All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Ya’u Garba Gwarmai, winner of the state assembly election.
Gwarmai defeated his closest rival and NNPP candidate, Muhammed Yusuf Ali, to reclaim the vacant seat after the court verdict that declared the initial election inconclusive.
Addressing a press conference on the outcome, NNPP Chairman in Kano, Hon. Hashim Dungurawa, insisted the result of Ghari/Tsanyawa was manipulated against the NNPP candidate.
Dungurawa cited alleged cases of outright denial of access to electorates willing to cast their ballots. He also accused INEC of conniving with the APC to manipulate the results.
“This is unacceptable, a case where electorates were being denied rights to vote after they came out massively to cast their vote for NNPP.
“Therefore, the party rejected the election results of Tsanyawa/Ghari, which was declared at the INEC Headquarters in Kano, while cancelling entirely the ten (10) polling units that the Appeal Court nullified and ordered for a fresh election.
“As people are aware, in Ghari Local Government, the election was conducted peacefully at the ten polling units; but in a way of manipulation by some unpatriotic politicians who connived with INEC officials, forced the declaration of the APC candidate as the winner.
“In ideal circumstances, elections are supposed to be declared at the collation centre within the constituency, but INEC decided to make the declaration at its Headquarters at the State capital, which gave room for the unpatriotic politicians to connive with INEC and cancel.
“All the polling units in contention and revert back to the old election results that was challenged at the court, and the court decided in favour of the NNPP; where it said election re-run should be conducted, hence, directed the INEC to do the re-run on the ten polling units.
“This issue is the true show of unpatriotic actions and disenfranchisement of the electorate and stole their mandate; it also discredited the image of the highest electoral body, which is INEC.
“NNPP as a party will continue to fight injustice, favouritism, election manipulations against anybody who feels he can use the federal might to disenfranchise the good people of Kano State,” Dungurawa said.
Source: Guardian Nigeria | Read Full Story…
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