Following the formal announcing of results of last Saturday by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM) Chairman on Thursday which saw the ruling All Progressives Congress claim 14 councils, leaving main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with four, the latter has called for the investigation of thr state’s Commissioner of Police, General Officer (GOC) 1 Div Nigerian Army and the arrest of two key aides to Governor Nasir el-Rufai.
The party which was obviously angry about the results, expressed this in a statement signed by its Kaduna State Publicity Secretary, Abraham Alberah Catoh, made available on Friday evening.
“In the light of the above, we call on the Inspector General of the Police and the Chief of Army Staff to investigate Mr Austin Iwar and Maj. Gen. Mohammed Mohammed respectively,for their partisanship and unprofessional conduct of their personnel. Likewise, we call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Uba Sani, Samuel Aruwan and all the Returning Officers who abandoned their duty posts to announce fake Results in undisclosed locations other than the constituted Collation Centres,” PDP said.
The PDP said that it strongly rejects the results of the recently held Local Government Council Elections in Kaduna State in the areas where the APC were declared winner.
“Our decision stems from the fact that, Elections were conducted peacefully in polling units where the electronic voting machines (EVM) were used but shortly before the election results were collated, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani and Mr Samuel Aruwan, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media Matters, with the backing of he Commissioner of Police of Kaduna State, Mr Austin Iwar and the GOC 1 Division, Major General Mohammed Mohammed went round various Local Government Areas with heavily armed Policemen and Soldiers harassing, threatening, abducting and bribing Returning Officers.
“They bullied them to falsify figures,change Results and declare APC as the winners in those areas.
“In Local Government Areas like Igabi, Giwa, Kaduna North, Kubau, Kudan, Lere, Ikara, Birnin Gwari, Soba and Makarfi, the EVMs were not deployed to the polling units hence,no Elections took place,but surprisingly fake Results were announced by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM)and APC Candidates were declared winners.
” Further more,in contravention of the provisions of Section 23 (2)(a)(b) of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission Law No. 2, 2018,which states that “the Returning Officer shall announce the results and declare the winner of Elections at
(a) Ward Collation Centre in the case of Councillorship Elections;
(b) Local Government Collation Centre in the case of Chairmanship Elections.
the results from Kaduna North, Igabi, Giwa, Birnin Gwari, Lere, Kubau, Ikara, Soba, Makarfi, Sabon Gari, Kudan, Zaria, Kagarko and Sanga Local Government Areas, were not announced at the Ward or Local Government Areas as stipulated by the Law,” PDP alleged.
The party pointed out that the electorates who came out to defend their votes were tear gassed , beaten, molested and attacked by the APC/Security Agents led by Uba Sani .
“The KAD-SIECOM obviously demonstrated its bias and Partisanship by cancelling the results of Elections held at Kaura,Jaba and Kajuru Local Government Areas after they realized that the PDP has clearly won the elections. This was done in connivance with the APC administration in the State,so as to portray the APC as an acceptable party across the State.
The genuine results collated by the SIECOM Ad-hoc Staff with our Party Agents in all the polling units across the State apparently shows that the PDP won in at least,21 Local Governments Areas of the State.
“With the conduct of the Security Agencies in the Local Government Elections in Kaduna State,it is very clear that they have demonstrated unbridled Partisanship and unprofessionalism. Therefore,we strongly believe that the present Leadership of the Nigerian Police and the Army in Kaduna State Government cannot guarantee a free,fair and credible Elections in 2019,” it expressed.
The party however, commended and expressed gratitude to the electorates for their massive turn out during the election exercise.
“It is an apparent demonstration of the rejection of the APC and El-Rufai repressive administration by the people. Despite the level of propaganda, lies and falsehood of the Kaduna State Government, the people have strongly made their position known by preferring the PDP ahead of the APC,” it added.
The former ruling party boasted that the results collated from the polling units has evidently proven that the PDP is widely accepted by the people across the state.
“The people are ready and willing to throw out the corrupt APC Government and its anti-people policies and programmes that have continue to inflict poverty, hardship, joblessness, insecurity of lives and properties, disrespect to the rule of law,abuse of office and dehumanization of the people in 2019,” it stated.
The statement called on the people at the Local Government Areas where their mandates were stolen to remain calm, as the party shall duly seek redress in the Court of law.
” We shall pursue and recover our mandate with all sense of seriousness and responsibility,” it assured.
PDP condemned the way Nagarta Radio and other media outfits were used to announce concocted figures and fake results in favour of the APC, even before the genuine results were collated.
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