Bauchi Run-off: Confusion in INEC as APC, PDP battle Mahmood

The PDP has disagreed with INEC over plan for a supplementary election in Bauchi on Saturday.

The party National Chiarman Uche Secondus wrote to INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu March 21, 2018 saying such decision contradicts provisions of the electoral act as well as the INEC guidelines for the conduct of elections.

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the INEC not to go ahead with its plan to collate, conclude and announce the results of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area for the governorship election in Bauchi State held on March 9.

The judge, Inyang Ekwo, made the order based on an ex-parte application filed by the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the incumbent governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar.

The restraining order is to last till the determination of the suit brought before the court by the two plaintiffs.

Abubakar and his party had prayed for an order of interim injunction restraining INEC from resuming, concluding or announcing the result of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State in respect of the governorship election.

The election was declared inconclusive by INEC because of irregularities in Tafawa Balewa local government.

INEC later announced it would go ahead with collating and completing the results sourced from backup result sheets, a move Mr Abubakar, who scored the second highest votes in results so far collated, rejected.

The governor wants the run-off to be conducted as he met with President Muhammad Buhari and vowed to challenge INEC’s turn around in court.

The PDP asked INEC to suspend the supplementary election pending the collation of results.

“It is important to note that rerun or supplementary election can only be ripe and determined upon conclusion of collation of all the results from the 20 local government areas in the state and the margin between the winner and runner up is known.

“This is the provision of the law as provided in the regulation and guidelines for the conduct of elections, specifically paragraphs 33 (a) and (e) and 34 (e).

“By the combined effects of the paragraphs, the commission shall wait to determine the margin of lead between the two leading candidates of the governorship election after collation of the overall results of the election before deciding to embark on the supplementary poll. Hence there is no basis for a supplementary election at the polling units cancelled.”

Mr Secondus demanded the “immediate suspension of the supplementary election” until collation of results from Tafawa Balewa has been concluded