The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has suspended its of results collation in Tafawa Balewa LGA which was the March 9 governorship election in the state.
INEC Resident Electoral commissioner in Bauchi State, Ibrahim Abdullahi, while addressing newsmen, disclosed that the collation was temporarily suspended in compliance with the court order.
He, however, stated that supplementary elections will still hold on Saturday in the 14 local government areas of the state, excluding the embattled Tafawa Balewa LGA.
NEWSFLASH247 gathered that the collation was scheduled to hold today (Tuesday) around in the state collation centre.
However, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ordered the commission to stop the collation process following a suit filled by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its governorship candidate in the state, Governor Mohammed Abubakar, challenging the commission on the legality of the collation exercise.
Issuing the ruling on Tuesday, Justice Ekwo Ejembi gave the judgment on a suit filed on the matter.
The development is coming barely 24 hours after Abubakar visited President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, during which the Buhari had supported the Governor’s decision to go to court.
Recall that on Friday, INEC had said it would resume the collation of results for the local government on Tuesday after considering a report submitted by Mohammed Kyari, the INEC returning officer in the state.
This followed the disruption of the exercise at Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area which led to the cancellation of results for the entire LGA.
The electoral authority also appointed a new collation/returning officer for the LGA to conclude the collation process after Dominion Anosike withdrew over alleged threat to her life and her family.
In a statement signed by Festus Okoye, INEC commissioner in charge of Media and Publicity, said the commission, having considered a report sent by Mr Kyari, decided to proceed with the collation in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government of the state.
