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Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the winners of the councillorship elections in Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area as declared by the Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission (KSIEC), saying the names of the candidates were switched.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sanni Dododo, who made the party’s position known yesterday while speaking with reporters, noted that the names of the councilors declared winners in Makera and Gawassu wards by the KSIEC were not the names forwarded by the party to the Commission.
Dododo noted that of 15 wards in Birnin Kebbi Local Government, only two wards, Makera and Gawassu, had the names of candidates forwarded to the Commission by the party replaced with unknown candidates without the knowledge of the party.
“They can’t replace the names we forwarded to them. It is only the party that has the constitutional, supreme power to forward and feed the names of candidates for any election,” the party spokesman said.
“The names of the councillorship candidates declared as the winners under the platform of APC in Makera and Gawassu wards of Birnin Kebbi Local Government were not the names APC forwarded to the Commission. We hereby reject these candidates declared by the KSIEC.”
Dododo however noted that apart from the observed mishap, the party appreciated the efforts of the Commission and security agencies in the state to ensure a peaceful conduction of the election, adding that the admonition of religious clerics also contributed to a free and fair election held on Saturday across the 225 wards in 21 Local Government Areas in the state.
The APC chairmanship candidate in Dandi LGA, Alhaji Garba Saliu Dila, while speaking with reporters in Kamba, commended the people of the state for being orderly and peaceful during the election.
A House of Representatives member representing Argungu and Augie federal constituency from Kebbi State, Honourable Isa Bashar Matawalle, has also called on the Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission (KSIEC) to cancel the Galadima and Dikko ward elections in Argungu and conduct fresh polls.
He alleged that the Ward and Argungu Local Government Area Returning Officer announced the results of the election before voters had completed casting their votes in the two wards.
