Guber Polls: Bauchi Gov Moves To Stop INEC’s Resumption Of Collation

The controversies trailing the governorship election in Bauchi State, where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has decided to resume collation of results after declaring the poll inconclusive initially, may have reached a boiling point.

Mohammed Abubakar, the state governor, apparently uncertain of what might be the outcome of the electoral umpire’s decision if collation of results resumes, however, threatened to initiate legal actions against INEC. Advertisement

The governor, who described INEC’s decision as illegal, took his grievances to the Presidential Villa on Monday to brief President Muhammadu Buhari on his resolve to go to court.

The embattled governor was also at the Villa on Friday, last week, where he met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo behind closed doors. Advertisement

While criticising INEC, he alleged that it was an attempt to reverse itself having previously taken a decision to hold supplementary elections in the state.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) had similarly rejected INEC’s decision to resume collation of results in Rivers and Bauchi states ahead of the supplementary elections declared in six states.

INEC had fixed March 23 for supplementary elections after declaring the governorship elections in six states “inconclusive”.

The states are Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Sokoto, Adamawa, and Plateau.

The governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State were suspended due to violence.

However, INEC later said it would resume collation of results in the contentious Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State instead of conducting a fresh election.

It also resolved to resume collation of results in Rivers State.

But fielding questions from State House correspondents after meeting with the president on Monday, Governor Abubakar said: “I came to brief Mr. President about the situation in my state.

“I briefed him on the issues surrounding the inconclusive elections. The returning officer for Bauchi State at the end of collation rejected the result of Tafawa Balewa Local Government (Area) and then 36 other units spread around 15 local government areas of Bauchi State, and ordered a rerun.

“Surprisingly, we woke up one morning and INEC came up with a procedure that is not known to law. Because, where a returning officer has declared the result, only an election petition tribunal can reverse the result.

“But INEC is attempting to reverse itself in the case of Bauchi. And when one juxtaposes that of Bauchi and other states with inconclusive elections, one wonders why that is happening only in Bauchi State.

“So, for that reason there is a need for me to come and brief Mr. President because that has the potential of touching on the security of the state and it is our paramount duty to secure the state.”

When asked if INEC’s decision was extralegal, the Bauchi governor responded: “Of course, it is definitely extralegal. It is a straight forward matter.

“The returning officer is the final arbiter even with respect to scores and declaration of result. And once he makes a declaration, no power can reverse that declaration except duly constituted court of the land.”

When asked what his mission to the presidency was, considering the fact that INEC was an independent institution, the governor said: “No, no, no. I said I came to brief Mr. President; I am not seeking any action of Mr. President.

“We all know Mr. President, he is a stickler for procedure. What I pointedly told him was that I am not here to seek you to interfere on our behalf, Sir, but to brief you on what is happening and what actions I have taken.

“One of which is that I am a lawyer and I am pursuing the legal angle. I briefed him and he emphasised on that legal angle, that it is the best way to go.”

He was also asked if Vice President Osinbajo’s handling of the matter, when he visited last week, did not go down well with him, hence his decision to seek audience with the president, he said: “No, no, no. There are procedures in these matters and levels of authority. I am a stickler for procedure, I started at the right place and I have also ended up at the right place.”

On the security of the state, the governor said, “We are on top of the situation, thank God. We have since ordered the ban on processions in the metropolis and things are very very calm.”

Asked if he was prepared for the supplementary elections, Abubakar said: “If they are going to do it now, we are ready. I don’t know who is afraid of anyone in Tafawa Balewa.”

INEC Erred In Declaring Plateau Guber Poll Inconclusive – Gov Lalong

Meanwhile, Simon Lalong, the Plateau State governor, has taken INEC to task for declaring the governorship election in the state inconclusive.

Lalong, however, said he was confident of emerging victorious after the supplementary poll, hence he decided to maintain his cool.

The governor, who met with President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed doors on Monday, debunked the insinuation that he had come to court the support of the presidency over the supplementary poll.

According to him, he was at the presidency to brief the president on the resurgence of crisis in his state which, he believed, was politically motivated.

When State House correspondents asked him what his mission was to the Villa few days to the supplementary elections, he said: “My meeting with the president is the usual briefing on security matters. I call it usual because of my passion for peace in the state. It is not about the election, it is purely about peace, to ensure we have a very peaceful election.

“So far so good, we have had very good peaceful elections. We are coming back for a supplementary election.

“I will like INEC to conduct a peaceful election and so we will like the security apparatus to be on ground in the state. That was my briefing to Mr. President.”

Asked if he was jittery that the supplementary election might not come out in his favour, he said: “How can I be, when all the votes that were cancelled were my votes?

“These were areas that I won. There was no need for cancellation but then, as a lawyer, I still want to comply with the rules. I don’t want to be talking about infringing on the rules when the election results are very clear.

“They said registered voters were 49,000 but the votes were not up to 20,000 but people were still saying we need 49,000 and I was already on top with 45,000 votes.

“So, we are going to get the 49,000. How can you imagine that a sitting governor cannot get 3,000 votes out of 39,000 in an area that I have well dominated for a very long time?

“So, for me, the election is as good as concluded in Plateau State. I see it as an opportunity for people whose votes were cancelled for them to vote.

“People came and said their votes were cancelled. It is for them to go back and vote and ensure their vote counts this time around.

“That is why I support that we go back and conduct the elections. If they (INEC) like, let them conduct the elections more than once, we will still win.”

Recall that INEC had declared the Plateau State governorship election inconclusive.

The state returning officer who doubled as the Vice Chancellor of Benue State University of Agriculture, Richard Kimbir, had hinged the decision on the margin between the two major parties which, he said, must be in excess of the total registered voters of the areas where election was held.

The battle for the soul of the state is between the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Simon Lalong, who polled 583,255 votes while his opponent, Lt. Gen Jeremiah Useni (rtd) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 538,326.

The candidate for the Alliance for a New Nigeria (ANN), Alex Ladan, came third, polling 2,216 votes.

The electoral officer had explained that the margin between the APC and PDP was 44, 929 while the cancelled votes were 49, 377.

Likely areas where the supplementary poll may take place include Jos East, Jos North, Jos South, Kanam, Langtang North, Langtang South, Mangu, Panshin, Kanke, Mikang, Quanpan, Riyom, Shendam, and Wase.

Commenting on the recent attacks by militia men, who allegedly killed 113 cows in the state, the governor said he sensed political undertone to the crisis, especially as it was coming few days to the re-run election.

“That is why I said I am concerned about security. Usually it starts like that, they start rustling and killing cattle and the next thing you will hear is that it is farmers-herders crisis.

“I know that I have addressed that issue for a very long time and the police are handling security. So, I informed Mr. President that we are on top of the situation because we wouldn’t want that to escalate into farmers, herdsmen crisis.

“It is not farmers-herdsmen crisis; it is criminals trying to foment trouble after losing elections.

“I always say it has political undertone, if not, why is it happening immediately after elections?

“It usually happens immediately before or after elections. Why is it like that? It has some political connotation,” he stated.

Conduct Free, Fair Supplementary Polls, Kano Elders Urge INEC

In a similar development, elders in Kano, under the aegis of Kano Concerned Citizens Initiative (KCCI), have urged INEC to ensure it conducted free and fair supplementary election in the thirty affected local government areas of the state.

The elders said they would do everything possible to protect Kano and would not allow the state to burn on account of the ambition of an individual.

Following the tension that resulted from the declaration of the governorship election in the state as inconclusive, the KCCI said the commission had to do everything in its power to attend to all the perceived challenges which characterised the two sets of elections of March 9 and March 23 to douse tension.

The KCCI, which was led by Bashir Tofa, a onetime presidential candidate of the National Republican Convention (NRC), stated this while addressing newsmen in Kano on Monday and expressed concern over increasing tension in the state.

“We strongly believe that all electoral staff must be told, in no uncertain terms, to live above board, and that anyone found to be wanting must receive the maximum sanctions provided by the Electoral Act and the constitution,” Tofa said.

He noted that KCCI was disturbed, anxious, concerned, and troubled by the seeming discord and agitation manifesting in Kano since the collation of the March 9 election results which culminated in INEC declaring it inconclusive.

He called on political leaders to desist from making unguarded utterances capable of inflaming passion, which could trigger violence.

He said it was incumbent upon political leaders to strictly obey the rules of engagement and the law by admonishing their members, operatives, and followers to be mindful of the full wrath of the law this time around, adding that open monitoring and other unlawful inducements must never be condoned during the rerun elections.”

Tofa asked security personnel to remain alert from now until the formal declaration of the rerun election results and after.

He said: “Security operatives must be seen to be upright and above board and completely nonpartisan. They have done well during the previous elections but the rerun exercise may yet prove to be more arduous and daunting.

“It also becomes imperative to take such security measures as would prevent people from neighbouring states, who are non-residents of the state, from coming in to partake in the March 23 re-rerun elections to forestall unnecessary tension or violence.”

While calling on INEC not to compromise its independence, Tofa emphasised that the onus was on the electoral body to deliver a fool proof election by being truly non-partisan.

“Any act of commission or omission would be squarely placed on its (INEC) shoulders. Officials must be aware that such acts may be the difference between peace and violence in our state,” he explained.

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