Katsina NNPP Assembly Candidate Petitions INEC, Demands Recount of Ballot Papers 

Francis Sardauna in Katsina 

The candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) for Kurfi State Constituency in Katsina State, Shuaibu Iliyasu, has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and demanded a recount of ballot papers used for the March 18 elections.

Iliyasu, who petitioned the INEC in Katsina through his lawyer, B.S. Gachi, is asking the electoral umpire for a recount of the ballot papers used for the exercise in Wurma A, B and Barkiya wards of Kurfi Local Government of the state.

Kurfi is among the three local governments in Katsina State where the state Assembly election was declared inconclusive by INEC over purported cases of violence and over-voting.

But Iliyasu, in a petition letter signed by Gachi and submitted to INEC, expressed dissatisfaction with the results declared by the returning officers of the affected electoral wards, and urged INEC to review the election by recounting the ballot papers used for the exercise.

A copy of the petition, which was made available to THISDAY Saturday, read: “We are solicitors/advocates of the Supreme Court, acting for and on behalf of Shuaibu Iliyasu (our client), who was a candidate of the NNPP in Kurfi state constituency election.

“Our client being dissatisfied with declaration and return made by the returning officers of Wurma (A), Wurma (B) and Barkiya registration areas/wards hereby apply to the commission based on the powers conferred on it by section 65 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 to review the declaration made by the returning officers

“By way of recounting all the ballot papers used in the above mentioned wards as the said declaration and return was made involuntarily and/or made contrary to the provisions of the law, regulations and guidelines, and manual for the conduct of the said election.”

Iliyasu urged INEC to recount the ballot papers used for the election before the April 16 rerun election in some designated polling units within the Kurfi state constituency.