Sule’s Votes Were Shortchanged in Awe, Keffi LGAs, APC Witnesses Tell Tribunal

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Six witnesses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday testified before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that is sitting in Lafia that votes of Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State were shortchanged in some polling units in Awe and Keffi Local Government Areas of the state. 

The first set of witnesses from Awe LGA were Isham Abubakar Dan’azimi from Wuse; Mr. Abdullahi Hashimu Danlami from Sabon Garin Awe and Mr. Abdullahi Tela Usman from Akiri.

They confirmed to the tribunal that the governorship election on March 18, 2023, in their polling units was conducted peacefully and INEC’s presiding officers used BVAS machines and uploaded results of the election to iReV.

However, Isham Abubakar Dan’azimi told the tribunal that APC scored 353 votes, PDP 37 votes at the Wuse TV Centre Polling Unit, but at the collation of results the Registration Area of Wuse Ward, APC got 193 instead of 353 at the polling unit level, while that of PDP was inflated to 197 votes instead of 37.

Similarly, Mr. Abdullahi Hashimu Danlami said that APC scored 238 votes in Kekura Primary School Polling Unit while PDP got 15, while in the result of Makungiji Electoral Ward, APC’s scores were entered as 159 votes instead of 238 and that of the PDP increased to 94 votes instead of 15, which was its score at the Polling Unit Level.

Mr. Abdullahi Usman said his party (APC) has problem with the results of Ungwan Torbuto Polling Unit of Akiri Ward where the score of APC was calculated wrongly and that of PDP was increased, saying APC scored 213 votes while PDP got 59, but it was recorded 161 votes for APC while PDP was inflated to 111 votes.

The APC’s witnesses from Keffi LGA were Mr. Ahmad Abubakar Sarki, Mr. Kasim Tanko Kasim and Mr. Abdullahi AlKasim, both resident of Keffi.

The Keffi APC’s witnesses confirmed to the tribunal that INEC’s presiding officers used BVAS machines to authenticate voters before they cast their votes.

Ahmad complained of the results of Ungwan Kwara and Kofar Gidan Late Mai Angwan Polling Units where the result of APC was reduced while PDP’s votes was increased, adding that APC scored 360 votes in Ungwan Kwara, but was recorded 2 while PDP got 14 but it was Inflated to 384 instead of 14 votes.

Meantime, PDP Lead Counsel, Mr. Jibrin Samuel Okutepa, (SAN), has asked the sixth respondents’ witness, Abdullahi Alkasim, to sign on a plane paper to authenticate the signature on the result sheet of his polling unit and consequently applied to tender it as exhibit, an application that was not objected by the respondents’ counsel.

Hearing on the matter has been adjourned till this Friday, August 25 by chairman of the election tribunal, Justice Ezekiel Ajayi.