By Musa Baba Adamu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Kaura Namoda South state constituency bye-election in Zamfara inconclusive.
INEC’s returning officer for the election, Lawal Sa’adu of Federal University Gusau, said that the declaration followed the cancellation of results from some polling units in Sakajiki and Kambarawa wards.
Mr Sa’adu said the total number of registered voters in the affected polling units stood at 5,446, while 3,265 Permanent Voter Cards were collected in those areas.
He explained that the All Progressives Congress scored 7,001 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party scored 5,339 votes, resulting in a margin of 1,662 votes.
Mr Sa’adu stated that the margin was less than the total number of PVCs collected in the cancelled polling units; therefore, the election cannot be concluded.
The electoral umpire cited Sections 24 subsection 2 & 3, Section 47 subsection 3, and Section 51 subsection 2 of the Electoral Act 2022 as reasons for declaring the election inconclusive
He said that the Electoral Act 2022 and the Manual for Election Officials provide for a situation where the margin of lead between the two leading candidates is not in excess of the number of collected PVCs in areas where elections were cancelled.
According to him, therefore, the Returning Officer shall decline to declare a winner until supplementary elections are conducted.
The returning officer also stated that the two registration areas affected by the cancellation were Sakajiki ward, with two polling units affected, which had 1,357 registered voters and 1,298 PVCs collected.
The other was Kambarawa ward, with three polling units affected and having 4,088 registered voters and 1,964 PVCs collected.
Mr Sa’adu, therefore, declared the election inconclusive, pending the conduct of a supplementary poll in the affected polling units.
He said INEC would announce a new date for the rerun election in the five affected polling units across Sakajiki and Kyambarawa wards.
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