By Rauf Oyewole
All the 20 chairmanship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been declared winners at Saturday's Bauchi State local government election, just as the All Progressives Congress (APC) accused electoral commission of manufacturing results.
The Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission, Ahmed Makama declared the winners Saturday night after a poorly participated election by voters across the 20 local government councils.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has kicked against the outcome of the poll, calling for the cancellation, sacking of the Makama and appointment of a “credible” team to conduct a fair election.
Reading the text of the Party, the APC legal adviser, Barrister Rabiu Garba, said that: “We condemn in loud and clear voice the broad-day robbery of franchise and murder of democracy committed by Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC) chaired by Alhaji Ahmad Makama who chose to sacrifice the mandate of the people of loyal citizens in the purportedly conducted Local Governments election across the 20 Local Government Areas of Bauchi State.
“The purported election was characterized by all sorts of irregularities including inadequate election materials, withheld sensitive materials and result sheets, votes allocation to PDP, absence of returning officers to make official declaration of results, abandonment of election materials at polling units by fleeing electoral officers and non-election in most of the polling units across Bauchi State.
“In Toro Local Government Area, all the election materials were left in BASIEC Office heavily guarded by security personnel and no election was conducted in any of the polling units of Toro LGA as at the moment of this press conference. It is quite ridiculous and scornful for BASIEC to have winners declared in any of the polling units or electoral Wards of the entire Toro LGA,” he said.
The Party said that having lost confidence in the management team of Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC), “we unconditionally demand for immediate resignation of Alhaji Ahmad Makama as Chairman of the Commission having failed to uphold the sanctity of his subscribed Oath of Office.
“We demand Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC) to immediately cancel the Local Governments Election purportedly conducted on 17th August, 2024 in Bauchi State.
“We unconditionally demand Bauchi State Government dissolve the current management of the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC) and reconstitute a credible team to conduct a fresh Local Government election that would be free, fair, credible and in line with the international best practices.”
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