Paul Orude, Bauchi
The South East Coalition for People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Bauchi State chapter, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the PDP candidate Senator Bala Mohammed as the winner of the March 9 governorship election in the state.
The election was declared inconclusive by the returning officer for the state, Mohammed Kyari, after ordering for the cancellation of results from Tafawa Balewa following violence that reportedly disrupted results collation at the centre in the local government.
INEC fixed March 23 for a re-run in Tafawa Balewa and other polling units in the state where votes were canceled as a result of alleged over voting and other electoral malpractices.
But a fact-finding committee set up by INEC headquarters in Abuja, led by Festus Okoye which visited the state reversed the cancellation of the Tafawa Balewa results, recommending that the results of the contentious local government be regenerated, collated and announced on Tuesday, March 19.
Speaking on the development, Chairman of the South East PDP coalition, Chief Emeka, Aneke Ekwueme, urged INEC to immediately declare Bala Mohammed of the PDP the winner of the election after the results collated from the local government areas in the state showed that he was leading.
Ekwueme made the call in a press release made available to newsmen at the weekend, saying that the coalition is a political organisation with its aims and objectives well spelt out and does not interfere in the activities of ethnic associations.
According to Chief Ekwueme, “since there was no breach and violation of the Electoral Act or any law of the land at the Tafawa Balewa collation, victory should be given to the PDP candidate without any waste of time because the candidate with the highest number of votes is the candidate of the PDP, Bala Abdulkadir (Kauran Bauchi).”
Chief Ekwueme said that it is God that gives power and in the governorship election that held in the state, “God has given the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Bala Mohammed, power and this should be accepted by all God-fearing individuals and groups.”
He said: “We are appealing to all Nigerians and all stakeholders in the Bauchi Project and we called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the INEC Chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood to direct the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) to declare Senator Bala Mohammed the winner since he scored the highest number of votes in the said election.”
According to the chairman of the group, declaring Bala Mohammed the winner of the election will give the people of Bauchi State the ample opportunity to enjoy their chosen leader.