Zamfara Central: Bilbis urges INEC to announce senatorial poll results

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Zamfara Central Senatorial District, Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, has petitioned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, urging him to cause the announcement of the February 25, 2023 election in the senatorial zone.

The election was declared inconclusive by INEC returning officer, Professor Ahmad Galadima.

In the petition, Aliyu Bilbis said it was surprising that Galadima declared the election inconclusive and proposed a supplementary election which is contrary to the provision of the Electoral Act 2022.

He said, “After the election, I scored a total of 93,120 votes, while my closest rival of the APC scored 79,444 votes.

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“Surprisingly, while the good people of my senatorial district were eagerly waiting for the declaration of the result, the INEC collation officer, Professor Ahmad Galadima declared the election inconclusive and proposed a supplementary election.

“In his press release, he declared that 74 polling units from 19 registration areas with a total of 43,881 collected Permanent Voters’ Cards were affected and the supplementary election would be conducted on a date to be communicated by the commission.

“According to the collation officer, the supplementary election is for the polling units where the election could not hold as a result of bandits’ activities and overvoting,” he explained.

Bilbis however said it was on record that prior to the election, stakeholders, including the electoral officers in some of the units in the Senatorial District, knew that elections could not possibly be conducted in the affected areas because of the lingering insecurity that has bedevilled the areas for more than two years now.

He further said the Electoral Act 2022 is unambiguous with regards to areas of serious insecurity threats, stressing that the areas affected in this case have been deserted by the people for over two years.

He, therefore, said the excuse adduced by the returning officer was untenable and at variance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, as the security threat was verifiable.