PDP female candidate causes major upset, defeats Plateau Assembly Speaker

A female House of Assembly candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Happiness Akawu, caused a major upset in Saturday’s House of Assembly elections for Pengana Constituency of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, after she floored the sitting Speaker of the House, Yakubu Sanda, of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to results announced on Saturday night by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Akawu polled 9,926 votes to defeat Sanda who managed 7,936 votes.

The candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Faisal Haruna Maitala, polled 6,721 votes to place third.

Sanda was controversially installed as the Speaker by six members out of the 24-member assembly when the erstwhile Speaker, Nuhu Ayuba Abok was impeached by members said to be loyal to Governor Simon Lalong.

READ ALSO:Supreme Court affirms Dakum as Labour Party governorship candidate in Plateau

The instalment of Sanda was seen as an illegality by many in the state who said Abok was removed to pave the way for the House to be an appendage of the Executive.

Another top ranking member of the House, Daniel Naanlong, who is the Majority leader, also lost his Mikang State Constituency seat to Mathew Sule of PDP.

According to the results announced by the electoral umpire, Sule scored 12,880 to defeat Naanlong who was contesting for a third term on the APC platform, who polled 9,848 votes.

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