LIST OF STATES WHERE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION HAS BEEN DECLARED INCONCLUSIVE AND RESULT COLLATION PROCESS SUSPENDED.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, March 9, conducted governorship elections across 29 out of 36 states across Nigeria and state House of Assembly elections across the country.
However, while collation of results commenced on Sunday, March 10, 2019, winners of gubernatorial elections at different states has been called while some had been declared inconclusive.
States like Bauchi, Sokoto, Plateau, Adamawa, Imo and Kano states have been declared inconclusive.
In four out of the five affected states, the margin of win has been smaller than the number of cancelled votes.
Below is the breakdown:
BAUCHI
APC: 465,456
PDP: 469,512
Rejected: 21,419
Margin of lead between PDP and APC: 4059
Cancelled Votes: 45,312
ADAMAWA
PDP: 367, 471
APC: 334,995
Margin of win: 32,476
Cancelled Votes: 40,988
Andrew Haruna, the state returning officer, said votes were cancelled in 44 polling units across the state. He declared the poll inconclusive.
PLATEAU
APC: 583,255
PDP: 538,326
Total registered voters 2,480,455
Total accredited voters 1,157,025
Total valid votes 1,154,678
Rejected 15,691
Total votes cast 1,154,678
Margin between the two parties 44,929
Cancelled votes 49,377
SOKOTO
Aminu Tambuwal PDP: 489,558 votes
Ahmed Aliyu APC: 486,145 votes
Margin of Winning 3,413
Cancellation in 136 polling units with 75,403 registered voters.
It’s imperative to appreciate the electoral act that necessitated to the declaration of an electoral process, inconclusive.
In page 17 paragraph C of the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections on the margin of lead principle state that where the margin of lead between the two leading candidates in an election is not in excess of the total number of voters registered in polling units where elections are not counted or voided, in line with Section 26 and 53 of Electoral Act, the Returning officer shall decline to make a return until votes have taken place in the affected polling units and the results collated in to the relevant forms for declaration and return.
“This is the margin of lead principle and shall apply wherever necessary in making returns in all elections to which this Regulations and Guidelines apply.”
Whereas in Imo State, announcement of results has ended in a fight at the Imo state Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, along Portharcourt road in Owerri, Imo state.
Vanguard observed that drama started by 05:30am on Monday, when the results from Ideato South local government area was about to be announced
The state party agent to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Onyegucha, raised an objection that the results should not be announced.
His reasons was that “All the electoral officers were taken to a particular place to write the results. Also that the party agents were driven away by the agents of the government and the results were written in a favour of one candidate.”
But party agents to the Democratic Alternative, DA, Paschal Onwukaike, challenged him (Onyegucha) on the reason for which the results should be cancelled.
At a point both agents were forced to engage in a loud argument which resulted to fighting and torching the INEC, materials.
However, the security operatives at the INEC, office have arrested the duo of Onyegucha and Onwukaike, including Steve Asinobi.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Riskuwa Arab-Shehu announced this after the collation of results from the 43 out of the 44 Local Government Areas of the state.
The INEC Commissioner said the suspension was necessary because of reports of the security challenges from the only local government left to be announced in the governorship elections results.
Newsmen report that the result of Nassarawa local government is being awaited.
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