APC rejects Bauchi guber result, asks INEC to probe widespread electoral fraud

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the result of Saturday’s governorship election in Bauchi state.
This is coming barely hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the incumbent governor, Bala Mohammed the winner at the end of results collation on Monday.
The ruling party alleged widespread cases of over-voting, massive electoral fraud, thuggery, harassment, intimidation, and violence that marred the Bauchi State Governorship election.
The spokesperson of the APC, Barr. Felix Morka in a press statement on Monday believed that the election was characterized by so many irregularities such as over voting and harassment of eligible voters among other malpractices.
He called 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.
“Specifically, in Alkaleri, Kirfi, Toro, Warji, Ningi and Zaki Local Government Areas of Bauchi State which recorded widespread violence, overvoting and massive rigging against the All Progressives Congress (APC) 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.
“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. The bogus “result” in the same Alkaleri LGA with recorded and verifiable over-voting, and in which INEC’s returning officer was molested and threatened at gun point to sign the “result” sheet was irregularly collated and used in the declaration of final result of the election in the state.
“In one of the many brazen cases recorded by polling unit agents, a reportedly serving PDP Commissioner in the state was captured buying votes in open and full glare of cameras, citizens, and assisted by security officials that bore a constitutional duty to arrest and take the criminal into custody for further investigation and prosecution.
“The APC rejects the invented election figures and INEC’s declaration of the Governor-elect in Bauchi State, and calls on INEC to cancel the election in the afore-mentioned LGAs that were characterized by over-voting, destruction of electoral materials, harassment, intimidation, and widespread violence and other irregularities in line with its power to review declaration of result within 7 days under Section 65 of the Electoral Act” the statement concluded.