NNPP rejects APC victory in Kano re-run election, heads to court

By Jude Opara with agency report

The New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP), in Kano has rejected the outcome of the Tsanyawa/Ghari State Assembly re-run election, insisting that the poll was rigged.

The party said it will go to court to challenge the declaration of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), candidate as the winner.

Announcing the decision, Kano State Chairman of the NNPP, Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa, said, “The leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State has acknowledged the tremendous achievements recorded by the party in Kano on the re-run and by-elections at Tsanyawa/ Ghari and Shanono/Bagwai state constituencies, respectively.

“While applauding the voters of the respective constituencies, the party wishes to inform the general public that the manipulations orchestrated against the candidate in Tsanyawa/Ghari re-run election cannot be condoned.

“Therefore, the party rejected the election results of Tsanyawa/Ghari, which was declared at the INEC Headquarters in Kano, while cancelling entirely the 10 polling units that the Appeal Court nullified and ordered for a fresh election.”

Dungurawa alleged that voters were denied the right to vote after they came out massively and casted their votes for the NNPP candidate.

“People are aware that in Ghari Local Government Area the election was conducted peacefully in the 10 polling units but some unpatriotic politicians connived with INEC officials and forced the declaration of the APC candidate as the winner.

“In ideal circumstances elections are supposed to be declared at the collation centre within the constituency, but INEC decided to make the declaration at its headquarters in the state capital, which gave room for unpatriotic politicians to connive with INEC and cancel all the polling units in contention and revert back to the old election results that was challenged at the court and the court decided in favour of the NNPP, ordering that re-run election should be conducted and hence ordering INEC to conduct re-run election in the 10 polling units.

“NNPP as a party will continue to fight injustice, favoritism, election manipulation and against anybody who feels he can use the federal might to disenfranchise the good people of Kano State,” he said.

“It is very important to know that all presiding officers at the Tsanyawa/Ghari polling units have already signed their election results at their respective collation centers, and only the presiding officers have the power to cancel elections – not at the INEC Headquarters.

“Furthermore, credible election was held in the Shanono/Bagwai by-election and if not because the Shanono/Bagwai results were declared at collation centers, APC might have attempted to change the narratives.

“Therefore, we appreciate the role of the constituents and other stakeholders, particularly the security agencies who provided enabling environment for very peaceful re-run and by-elections.”