The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of Bauchi South Senatorial District election.
INEC however, refused to recognise Senator Lawal Yahaya Gumau as the APC candidate in the election.
The party was declared the winner of the election after getting 250,725 votes against the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Garba Dahiru who scored 175,527 votes.
Senator Lawal Yahaya Gumau’s name was however, not mentioned by the Returning Officer, Professor Sarki Ahmed Fagam while announcing the result which raised some questions.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner ( REC), Ibrahim Abdullahi, while explaining the reason, said that the party won in the election not the candidate because APC had not complied to a Court Order which told the party to replace its candidates who were disqualified.
“What I am saying is, there is a subsisting court judgement to the party, which is the platform on which the other candidates contested. We called on the party to send a replacement which is why he cannot be returned in person. We don’t have provision for Independent Candidate.
“If he wants to contest, he must contest on a platform. Since he has been disqualified by Court, and the Court has directed the party to send a replacement, there is no way we can declare or return the candidate that was originally fielded. That is the explanation,”he said.
When asked about the development, the APC state Organising Secretary Lawan Gyan-Gyan refused to comment, saying that he had no legal expertise.
He promised to get back to our reporter after due consultation with the state party chairman and their legal adviser.
It could be recalled that Senator Gumau and Barrister Ibrahim Zailani have been laying claim to be the candidates of the party before the elections.
A Federal High Court in Abuja directed INEC to withdraw the candidature of Senator Lawal Yahaya Gumau and replace him with Barrister Ibrahim Zailani which was not complied with the APC.
