All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains trooped to the streets in Kaduna State on Saturday following the declaration of elections in Jema’a local government area as inconclusive by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM).
Taking swipe at the Commission, the protesters described the decision to declare the election inconclusive as an after-thought as the name of the APC candidate had earlier been announced and the winner congratulated by all contesters.
The described the decision as a “calculated mischief, partisan afterthought and shameless daylight robbery of the party’s mandate freely given by the people.”
They gave the commission a 24-hour ultimatum to revert to the announcement of APC candidate, Hon Yahanna Barde as chairman or face resistance from the people.
APC leader of Jemma Local, who addressed reporters shortly after the protest, said: “As far as we are concerned, the truth and the whole truth backed by incontrovertible evidence is that local government elections held peacefully and orderly in the twelve electoral wards of Jemaa Local Government Area on September 4, 2021.
“The results were collated at the various wards collection centres by the SIECOM appointed wards returning officers in presence of the agents of all the political parties, security officers, journalists and election observers from the civil society organizations.
“The results of ward election were then conveyed to the Local Government Secretariat that served as Local Government Collation Centre where the Local Government Returning Officer Dr. Sunday Ibrahim received and recorded them in turns as they trickled in under the watchful eyes of the APC, PDP agents, Security Officers from the Nigeria Police Command, The Department of Security Services, The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and journalists”.
He said, the Returning Officer after diligently collating the various results consequently declared Comrade Yunana Markus Barde as the winner and returned him as duly elected Chairman last Sunday.
“We have the duly signed Kaduna State SIECOM Local Government Summary Result Sheets from the wards and the declaration of results of the election of the office of chairman as well as copies of results from the various wards of the local government area.
“We, therefore, want to use this opportunity to assert that contrary to falsehoods by SIECOM that the SEPTMBER 4TH Local Government Elections were inconclusive, that the said local elections were duly conducted, collected and collated and the results announced and winners declared by the duly appointed returning officer. There is no dispute as to who the winner of that election is.
“We hereby reject her desire to unilaterally impose her whims and caprices on the esteemed Local Government electorates who have exercised their democratic franchise.”