The All Progressives Congress APC has rejected the result of Saturday's Governorship election in Bauchi State which returned the incumbent, Governor Bala Mohammed as duly re-elected.
“With indisputable cases of over-voting, massive electoral fraud, thuggery, harassment, intimidation, and widespread despicable violence that marred the Bauchi State Governorship election, the All Progressives Congress APC calls stridently on the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to expeditiously investigate reports that its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS was compromised in many voting units and cancel invented results of affected polling units in the state”, party spokesman, Felix Morka said in a statement.
Specifically, the party said in Alkaleri, Kirfi, Toro, Warji, Ningi and Zaki Local Government Areas of Bauchi State which recorded widespread violence, overvoting and massive rigging against its Governorship Candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Rtd.), “it is perplexing that inexplicable massive figures were invented in polling units in which voting didn't take place, and in which results were never collated”.
Part of the statement reads; “Extensive cancellations of polling units results in APC Candidate's strongholds were made without valid justification, except to depress his vote count and give undue advantage to the PDP candidate, the incumbent Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed.
“Specifically in Alkaleri LGA, APC polling units' Agents were chased away by Peoples Democratic Party PDP thugs who took control of affected polling units and thumb-printed ballot papers without BVAS accreditation, and results were gratuitously awarded and written up without voting, as mandated by law. INEC's returning officers were harassed and threatened at gunpoint to sign "results" sheets, the same LGA's false "results" in Alkaleri with a documented and verifiable settlement were irregularly Edited and used in the final results report. .
“In one of the many brazen incidents documented by voting department agents, a sitting PDP commissioner was arrested with the assistance of security officials after buying votes in full view of cameras and citizens. Security officials had a constitutional duty to arrest and kidnap criminals, who were held in custody for further investigation and prosecution.
‗The APC rejected the fabricated election numbers and INEC statements for Bauchi's next gubernatorial governor, and criticized the aforementioned LGA for being characterized by over-voting, destruction of election materials, harassment, intimidation, and widespread abuse. I call on INEC to cancel the election, committing violence and other fraudulent acts in accordance with its power to review the results report within seven days under Section 65 of the Electoral Law.”