By Amina Abdullahi, Kabiru R. Anwar (Yola) & Abubakar Auwal (Sokoto)
The North-East Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Ari has said about 36,935 voters are expected to vote in this Saturday’s supplementary elections in Adamawa State.
He stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting yesterday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the March 18 Adamawa State governorship election inconclusive.
NEC said the cancelled votes were more than the margin of victory between candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Fintiri and Aisha Dahiru, popularly called Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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incumbent governor scored 421,524 votes while Binani polled 390,275 votes.
Ari reiterated that security agencies have been given mandate to arrest and prosecute any perpetrator of electoral violence come during the supplementary election this Saturday.
“The law will take its full cause on anybody or group of persons, whatever his or her position trying to cause violence” he said.
He urged leaders of political parties to ensure only one agent accredited by the commission, wearing identification INEC tag is allowed at the polling units and collation centers when elections are conducted.
The meeting which was attended by representatives of political parties, security agencies, officials of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the Media and other relevant agencies sought ways to have a peaceful election in the state.
We’ll protect our votes – PDP
But the PDP has said party members would protect their votes on election day.
Addressing newsmen yesterday in Yola, the Director General of Presidential and Governorship Campaign Council in the state, Auwal Bamanga Tukur said the PDP would resist any form of manipulation of votes to ensure that Fintiri is returned elected.
Calling on INEC to play a neutral role in the election, Tukur noted that the PDP would have to scrutinise sensitive materials thoroughly to guard against manipulation by some unscrupulous elements.
“This is also to let INEC, our umpire know that our party will be timely and ready to inspect and scrutinise all available sensitive electoral material (s) for transparency and effective monitoring,” he said.
INEC yet to decide on polling units for Sokoto rerun
As of the time of filing this report yesteday, political parties in the state were worried over the inability of INEC to decide on the number of polling units, for the supplementary election in the state.
Daily Trust reports that the election for the three Senatorial zones and 11 House of Representatives seats in the state were declared inconclusive over irregularities recorded during the process.
At the stakeholders’ meeting convened by INEC on Wednesday, some chairmen of political parties wondered if the election would still hold as scheduled.
But responding, INEC National Commissioner, Major Gen. Modibbo Alkali (rtd), said the commission was fully prepared to conduct the supplementary election in the state this Saturday.
On the number of polling units for the rerun election, he said another team was coming from Abuja with comprehensive list of the polling units which he promised to share with the stakeholders.
He asked politicians to fear God by shunning any act capable of distrupting the election.
