2023 Guber Polls: INEC, Yakubu Under Pressure As Calls for Review of Result in APC-Controlled State Heightens
- There is a growing clamour for the review of the Kaduna state governorship election by INEC
- On Tuesday, March 28, a coalition of electoral observers rolled out its preliminary post-election report for the Kaduna polls
- The report disclosed that the Kaduna governorship poll was marred with electoral fraud and violence
FCT, Abuja - The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, have been urged to sanction the review of the 2023 gubernatorial election in Kaduna state.
A coalition of accredited electoral observers made this appeal on Tuesday, March 28, in Abuja.
Source: Getty Images
The coalition comprised the Centre of Strategic Ethics & Value, the Intercontinental Leadership Initiative and the Centre for Strategy and Conflict Resolution.
Others include the Society for Protection of Human Rights, Centre for Socio Value and Early Childhood Development, and Initiative for the Promotion of Civic Obligations and Sustainable Peace (INPROCOSUP).
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According to the preliminary election observation report released by the coalition and made available to Legit.ng, the Kaduna state governorship was marred by a series of electoral irregularities.
Voter inducement, and electoral fraud prevalent in Kaduna polls, says Observers
These irregularities range from electoral violence, voter inducement, and poor conduct of INEC and security personnel.
As contained in the report, the coalition called on the federal government to intervene and put into action the stipulations of the electoral act and prosecute electoral violators.
The report reads:
"We call on the government to as a matter of urgency prosecute all suspects of electoral malpractices and offence. This would deter others from embarking on similar crimes."
While referring to the principle of margin adopted by INEC in declaring the Kebbi and Adamawa state governorship election inconclusive, the coalition called on the electoral body to do the same for Kaduna state due to the point gap between the candidates of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The coalition's report said:
"In the spirit of fairness and equity, we call for the review of the Kaduna result declaration, since the margin of lead of 10,806 is far below the number of PVC collected in the cancelled areas, which amounts to more than 70,000 eligible votes.
"If the gubernatorial election of Adamawa state with a margin of lead of 31,248 and that of Kebbi state with 45,278, we see no reason why Kaduna should not also be declared in conclusive. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander."
It will be recalled that the Kaduna state governorship poll is arguably one of the most keenly contested gubernatorial elections in Nigeria's electoral history.
The APC candidate Uba Sani dug deep to beat PDP's Isa Ashiru for the number administrative seat in the state.
As announced by INEC, Sani polled 730,002 votes to defeat Ashiru, who polled 719,196 votes.
I'll Give Everyone a Sense of Belonging in Kaduna, Says Uba Sani
In another development, Senator Uba Sani has stated that non-discrimination will be his watchword when he assumes office as Kaduna governor.
Senator Sani was declared the winner of the Kaduna governorship election by INEC on Sunday, March 19.
Before he went into politics, Senator Sani was championing the rights of the underprivileged as a civil society leader.
El-Rufai Vows to Deal With Aggrieved Politicians Instigating Crisis in Kaduna
Meanwhile, the Kaduna state government has revealed plans to deal with aggrieved politicians causing trouble.
The government, headed by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, vowed to work closely with security agencies to monitor the activities of politicians planning to cause violence in the state.
However, some politicians, while reacting to the outcome of the just concluded election in the state, rejected the results and urged INEC to do the needful.
Source: Legit.ng
