ADC, APC Bicker Over Cancellation of Results of Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Fed.Constituency Seat in Kogi
Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja
The acting Chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kogi State, Comrade Adaji John has called on the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) Professor Yakubu Mahamud to order the candidate of the party as the winner of the Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu federal constituency seat.
Comrade John made this call while addressing journalists in Lokoja yesterday said the returning officer after collation of results escaped into thin air.
However in reaction ,the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Kolawole Matthew, has refuted the claim by the ADC that INEC issued duly signed result sheet for Kabba/Bunu//Ijumu Constituency.
Kolawole explained that on the contrary, what the ADC were circulating was fake result sheet.
“Results were cancelled in two other polling units due to over voting which were not collated by INEC in line with the electoral act, and everybody agreed to it. But the results cancelled in Otu Polling unit and Egbeda- Egga polling units was due to violence at the poll.
“We have video evidences of when the electoral umpire declares the result inconclusive. I wonder why the same body who early declared election inconclusive will later issued a signed result as been circulated by ADC. That shows that the ADC are circulating fake result.”
He urged the ADC to approach the INEC to argue their case rather than heating up the polity with their fake results.
He, however, expressed optimism that he will win the supplementary election as those places canceled due to violence were his strong base.
Adaji, who was visibly angry, stated that the ADC candidate Salman Idris has won the election with highest number of votes ,but the returning officer Dr. Baba Ahmed has refused to declare him the winner.
He lamented that while Nigerians are busy praising the the electoral body, INEC for the deployment of technologies to curb irregularities, stressing that the action of Dr.Baba was more or less a fraud.
The acting chairman pointed out that there was cancellation in four pulling units because of electoral violence and over voting, adding that after collation of results and counted the ADC candidate won.
He argued that if election is cancelled with the new Electoral Act it remained cancelled.
“It is responsibility of the returning officer to cancel results because it is the duty of the presiding officer. We called on Professor Mahamud Yakubu to prevail on returning officer, Dr. Ahmed Baba to declare our candidate Salman Idris the winner of Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu federal constituency seat,” he added
