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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja and Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, met with the governors of Adamawa and Bauchi states at the presidential villa, Abuja.
Osinabjo met Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa) and Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi) behind closed doors in his office.
Daily Sun gathered that the meeting might not be unconnected with the inconclusive polls in their states.
At the end of the meeting, Abubakar declined to speak to State House Correspondents, who approached him for an interview, when he came out of the meeting at about 2:00p.m.
On his part, Bindow who came out of the vice president’s office at 2:38p.m also declined comment.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed next Saturday for the rerun elections in some states, including Adamawa and Bauchi.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Support Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State has charged INEC and security agencies to be fair and neutral in the rerun governorship election in the state.
Supplementary election for the inconclusive election, which has been fixed for next Saturday will hold in 22 out of the 23 local government areas in the state.
The group said the call was necessary to avoid what transpired in the last gubernatorial election in the state, alleging that a particular party was accorded utmost preferences.
The committee’s coordinator, Abdulkadir Waziri, during a press conference, yesterday canvassed more security arrangements at the affected polling centres.
He accused security agencies, as well as officials of the INEC of colluding with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to defraud APC of more votes.
He said: “Supporters of the PDP were put on the line first before the APC supporters, and this was aided by the security agents.
In rural areas, there was no presence of security agents at the polling centres, thereby, allowing the elections to go the way of the PDP.
“Under the watch of security agents, ballot boxes were snatched and destroyed, leading to the cancellation of elections in those centres.
“We implore and caution the Federal Government to be sensitive of the consequences that may follow, should the PDP go ahead with their sharp practices.
“Security arrangements at the affected polling centres during the rerun elections should be given utmost attention, and INEC must be very responsible as to avoid compromise.
“PDP thugs should not be allowed at the polling centres, the use of cash at the polling centres must be stopped and fake security or party agents must be check-mated.
“We are using this medium to register our protest and call on the authorities to re-visit the conduct of last Saturday’s gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections in Sokoto State, with a view to bringing to book who soever is responsible for the dastardly.”
Only Tangaza local government is exempted from the estimated 75,403 voters expected to participate in the election, with Kebbe and Gada local government areas topping with 20,015 and 13,314 voters, respectively.
