I’ve been threatened with instant death, Bauchi LG collation officer tells INEC chair

Returning officer for Tafawa Balewa local government Area where supplementary election is expected to hold in Bauchi State on March 23, has cried out over a threat to her life.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officer, Dominion Anosike, said that she has been threatened with instant death if she is found anywhere in, or near Bauchi State.

INEC had declared election in Tafawa Balewa LGA inconclusive over the cancellation of votes from the local government.

The state retuning officer for the governorship election, Mohammed Kyari, had cancelled the election of the LGA on the argument that Anosike failed to use the prescribed form to enter the result collated across the local government.

Anosike had explained, “There was violence and I was forced to announce results under duress. We had to use photocopies of other forms to collate results because we were forced under duress to announce the results.

“My electoral officer and myself were collating results and about 11pm on Saturday we had collated for six wards. Around 6:00 am hoodlums came and started throwing stones. They were violent and insisted that we must announce the results but l managed to escape.”

Though the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Bala Mohammed got 40,000 votes to defeat incumbent Governor Mohammed Abubakar, of the APC who had 29,000 votes in the LGA, Kyari rejected the result on the claim that the excuse given by Anosike was not tenable.

When results from the other 19 LGAs were collated, Mohammed still led Abubakar with 4,059 votes, while 45,312 votes were cancelled, leading to the declaration of the state governorship election inconclusive.

INEC consequently set up a committee to look into the matter and Anosike was invited by the committee.

But in a letter dated March 13 and directed to Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, Anosike said she would prefer to testify in Abuja, not Bauchi.

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On her reason she said, “I superintended over the above election in Tafawa Balewa LGA as the Returning Officer and I believe that there will be need for your committee to find out from me what transpired at the collation centre that led to the cancellation of the result by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Bauchi State.

“The purpose of this letter to your good offices, is to indicate my desire to appear before the team in another location, preferably Abuja- as doing that in Bauchi State would constitute a threat to my life, as I have already been threatened with instant death, should I be found anywhere in or near Bauchi State.”

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