By TOM GARBA, Yola
THE Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) in Gombi Local Government Area (LGA), Adamawa State, at the weekend described the local government elections in the state last week as a “political armed robbery” by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Hon. Ahmad A. Abbo, PDP Chairman, Gombi Local Government Area, said APC is “claiming to be fighting corruption in Nigeria but they have seen the worst corruption in Adamawa and in particular, Gombi Local Government”. The PDP accused the former Secretary of Gombi Local Government of filling his car twice with election materials, believing him to have received orders from above to carry out such election irregularities.
Abbo also accused one Jamed to have single handedly thump printed ballot papers of three units in one ward and took one other ballot box on his way to Gombi from Guyaku ward.
“With this information across the 10 wards, all we discovered was massive stuffing of ballot boxes in all the wards of the local government. There was no collation center because out of the 114 polling units in the local government, people sited only seven ballot boxes at different polling units across the local government,” Abbo said.
“Can three units claimed to have held elections to declare a Councilor or the total of seven units out of 144 polling units in Local Government declare a chairman,” PDP protested.
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“We want to categorically state that in all the 10 wards, no election was held and no result declared since no ward and Local Government collation centre was seen collating results,” he said.
“We equally feel ashamed and disappointed with the action of the Assistant Electoral Officer of Gombi. He is incompetent, compromising and unpatriotic; therefore, does not deserve to be an umpire in such a sensitive organisation. We are, therefore, demanding for his immediate removal as Assistant Electoral Officer in Gombi. Consequently, the state Electoral commissioner and his team should resign because of their failure to conduct free and fair elections in the state,” Abbo stated.
APC won 18 seats out of the 21 local Government Councils in the LG polls.
Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (ADSIEC), Isa Shettima, who presented Certificate of Returns to the winners, disclosed that the remaining three local government councils election were inconclusive which comprised, Numan, Lamurde and Michika which were rescheduled for last Saturday, August 6.
Some of the APC members declared victorious in the Council Chairmen election include Barrister Aliyu Wakili of Fufore, Mr. GebronGoroki, Guyuk, Halilu Adamu, Hong, Yakubu Hamza, Gombi and Sharon Isa, Shelleng as well as Madam Walefuwa of Demsa who is the only female Chairperson, among others.
The Deputy Governor of the State, Engineer Martins Babale, has since sworn-in the elected local Government council chairmen at Government House, Yola, with a call on them to carry everybody along, irrespective of political differences and work for the masses.