20th March, 2023
By Muhammad Lawal
The Independent National Electoral Commission early Monday morning declared that it cannot declare any of the two leading candidates in Kebbi governorship election conducted last Saturday winner of the election.
Collated results show that the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate was in the lead with 388,258 votes, while his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate garnered 342,980 votes.
However, while declaring the gubernatorial election “inconclusive”, the Collation and Returning Officer of the election, Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu of the Usman Danfodio University noted that there were cancelations of election results in 20 of the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
He noted that the cancellation cuts across a number of Registration Areas (RAs) in different polling units with a total of 91,829 voters which is more than 45,278 difference in the votes between the leading candidate and his closest challenger.
Sa’idu said: “We aggregated the total number of collected PVCs in those polling units and it came to a total of 91,829.
“And when we checked the results, the two leading political parties in this contest, APC and PDP polled 388,258 and 342,980 votes respectively. When we looked at the difference, it stands at 45,278.”
He noted that they had no option than to refer to the electoral laws on page 31 of the Electoral Act 2022, section 51 sub-sections two and three for guidance.
According to him, law reads: “Where the number of votes cast in an election in any polling unit exceed the number of accredited voters in that polling unit, the presiding officer shall cancel the result of the election in that polling unit.
“Sub section three of section 51 also states that where the result of an election is cancelled in accordance with sub-section two, there shall be no return for the election until another poll has taken place in the affected polling unit.
“By virtue of this provisions and the powers vested in me as the collation and returning officer of 2023 gubernatorial election in Kebbi State, I, Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, hereby declare the gubernatorial election in Kebbi State inconclusive.”
there were Sokoto, announced the position at the the collation centre situated at INEC headquarters in Birnin Kebbi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the election was keenly contested by the two giant political parties, APC and PDP.
The Collation and Returning Officer of the election, Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, announced the position at the the collation centre situated at INEC headquarters in Birnin Kebbi.
(NAN)