Bauchi Guber Poll: INEC Must Probe Cases of Over Voting, BVAS Compromise, Says APC

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to probe cases of over voting, massive electoral fraud, thuggery, harassment, intimidation, and widespread violence that characterised the Bauchi governorship election.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, in a statement issued yesterday, also urged the electoral body to expeditiously investigate reports that its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was compromised in many polling units.

Specifically, he said  in Alkaleri, Kirfi, Toro, Warji, Ningi and Zaki Local Government Areas of Bauchi State recorded widespread violence, over voting and alleged massive rigging of the APC governorship candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (rtd).

The spokesperson noted that it was confusing that inexplicable massive figures were invented in polling units in which voting didn’t take place, and in which results were never collated.

Morka said: “With indisputable cases of over-voting, massive electoral fraud, thuggery, harassment, intimidation, and widespread despicable violence that marred the Bauchi State Governorship election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) calls stridently on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expeditiously investigate reports that its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was compromised in many voting units and cancel invented results of affected polling units in the state.”

He stressed that extensive cancellations of polling units results in APC candidate’s strongholds were made without valid justification, except to depress his vote count and give undue advantage to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor, Bala Mohammed.

Morka added: “Specifically in Alkaleri LGA, APC polling units’ agents were chased away by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs who took control of affected polling units and thumb-printed ballot papers without BVAS accreditation, and results were gratuitously awarded and written up without voting, as mandated by law.

“The bogus “result” in the same Alkaleri LGA with recorded and verifiable over-voting, and in which INEC’s returning officer was molested and threatened at gunpoint to sign the “result” sheet was irregularly collated and used in the declaration of final result of the election in the state.”

Morka noted that in one of the many brazen cases recorded by polling unit agents, a reportedly serving PDP Commissioner in the state was alleged captured buying votes in open and full glare of cameras, citizens, and assisted by security officials that bore a constitutional duty to arrest and take the criminal into custody for further investigation and prosecution.

He said the ruling party rejected the invented election figures and INEC’s declaration of the governor-elect in Bauchi State.

The party, therefore, called on INEC to cancel the election in the aforementioned local government area that were characterised by over-voting, destruction of electoral materials, harassment, intimidation, and widespread violence and other irregularities in line with its power to review declaration of result within seven days under Section 65 of the Electoral Act.