Why PDP is afraid of supplementary election in Bauchi ― APC
By Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekeen Nabena has said the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s fear of imminent defeat informed the latter aversion to a supplementary election in Bauchi State.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) at the weekend announced that it would no longer conduct a supplementary election in the state.
The electoral umpire resolved that the Collation process for Tafawa Balewa Local Government would resume today as it noted that Local Government Result Sheet (EC8C) which was destroyed by the hoodlums had since been regenerated from duplicate copies on a replacement result sheet.
Speaking with newsmen on Monday in Abuja, Nabena said the PDP was satisfied with INEC’s recent U-turn on its earlier pronouncement that the Bauchi governorship election was inconclusive because the main opposition party knew it could not win in a free, fair fresh exercise.
Buttressing his argument further, the APC chieftain said from the outcome of the same elections conducted same day, the APC had secured a clear majority in the Bauchi State Assembly.
He said: “The opposition PDP knew that if rerun election is held it will lose the election to APC.
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“Maybe the opposition felt that if that position had not be taken by INEC, they would have won. But that is not the issue. The issue of the election is not about winning or losing. It is about having a free and fair election. So it is the free and fair conduct of the election that matters to all of us and to the whole world.
“I say so because if the election is not free and fair there will be no issue of inconclusive; it must be concluded. So we are challenging the INEC not to give PDP undue advantage in Bauchi governorship election.
“I believe APC will win because APC has won 80 per cent of the other elections except for this election and this one has been declared inconclusive. Mind you, the results of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area has not been announced. But I tell you, you will be surprised if the result had been announced. We certainly would have won, that is why they are trying to deny us of the victory. If the hoodlums had not disrupted the process at the centre we would have won Tafawa Balewa. So I believe we will win Tafawa Balewa again.”
On the outcome of the Katagum Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat won by candidate of the People Redemption Party (PRP), the APC noted that the declaration of INEC was against provision of the Electoral Act and its own guidelines as he claimed that the election “should have been declared inconclusive because the number of cancelled votes, 5, 211 was more than the margin of lead which was 4, 704.”
“It is a clear case of an inconclusive election because the margin between the PDP candidate and the APC candidate is less than the cancelled votes. So, we are demanding justice if INEC is not deliberately against the APC.”
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