Gubernatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar, has rejected the Governorship results of March 18, 2023 election in the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday declared the incumbent governor Bala Mohammed of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the election with 525,280 votes.
Abubakar, who polled 432, 272 votes, said he would not accept the result because the election was marred violence and disruptions in seven local government areas in the state allegedly orchestrated by the PDP.
‘We are aware and our people are aware that the election in Bauchi State was characterised by primitive violence, thuggery, intimidation and harassment of opponents,’ he lamented
The retired Air Force boss lamented that many APC agents were thrown out in many polling units by Commissioners and aides of Governor Mohammed.
‘They took over virtually all the electoral activities particularly in Bauchi town,’ he said.
‘The SSG was seen moving with Commissioners and local government Chairmen from one collation centre to another throughout the nights and when they got to these collation centres they threw away or chased the APC agents there and took over the papers and write whatever they want to write.
‘This the least is most unfortunate.
‘Apart from the intimidation and harassment of APC members in Collation centres and polling units we also saw the use of violence in seven local government areas.
‘In Warji local government there was violence and destruction of electoral materials.
‘There is the video is out there for everyone to see.
‘APC supporters were harassed and intimidated and attacked.
‘That prevented many of our members from coming to cast their votes. Therefore what came out from Warji is not a reflection of what the people of warji wanted. Quite a number of them were not there.
‘Papers were invented, figures were written and that was what was submitted and sadly that submission was accepted.
‘If you come to Toro LGA there was also despicable violence in many areas.
‘As a matter of fact, a personnel of the DSS was injured and is hospital. People were intimidated, some thugs of PDP used violence and bullets were fired into the air in so many areas and that scared away many of the votes that came in to vote.
‘Therefore what came out of Toro does not reflect of the wishes and the yearning and aspiration of the people of Toro LGA.
‘Toro is the heart beat of APC in Bauchi State but unfortunately huge figures are imagined from Toro that are purported for PDP.
‘Apart from Toro , in Ningi there were a lot of violence . One of the returning officers that declared that the House of Assembly election was inconclusive was forced to retreat his statement.
‘ In Kirfi there was violence, in Zaki there was violence. Initially the results were coming in , PDP realised they were losing and mobolised thugs to go all out to make sure that people were not allowed to express their views.
‘So for us in the APC we considered the figures that were released totally unaccepted as it does not reflect the desire of the people of the state.
‘We thank our supporters for their resilience, for their courage. Most of us must have seen these terrible actions of the PDP.
‘We appreciate our supporters for coming out despite the challenges to come out to vote where there was peace like in Azare , Katagum and other LGA there were relative peace.
‘Part of Misau, Akuyam for instance, you have a traditional ruler that is more of a person carrying PDP card. People were harassed, intimidated.
‘In Bauchi here, quite a number of places. In Yelwa there was violence and in the Collation Centre where there were total harassment of APC supporters who were not allowed to come in.
‘Polling units gents were not allowed to deliver the results into collation cenres.
‘The whole place was barricade and you could bnt have access. This in our opinion is not how to conduct election. Therefore we consider the results unacceptable and we call on the relevant authorities to to what is going on’
The APC candidate thanked his supporters of the party for turning out en mass to vote for their candidates.
He said the party would engaged in further consultations to know the next step to take on the issue.
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