PDP wants INEC to suspend supplementary election in Bauchi

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend conducting supplementary governorship election in Bauchi State until it has collated results from Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area.

This was contained in a letter the PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus, wrote and addressed to the chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu.

He said in the later dated March 21, that INEC’s decision to proceed with supplementary election in Bauchi when result from Tafawa Balewa LGA is yet to be collated contradicts provisions of the electoral act as well as the INEC guidelines for the conduct of elections.

INEC had earlier slated Tuesday for collation of results in Tafawa Balewa LGA but was asked to suspend that by an order of a Federal High Court in Abuja, pending the determination of a suit brought by Mohammed Abubakar, governor of the state.

INEC nonetheless, said it would go ahead with supplementary election in the state this Saturday and then wait for the decision of the court on the collation of remaining result in Tafawa Balewa area.

But in the letter to INEC chairman, PDP’s chairman argued:

“It is important to note that rerun or supplementary election can only be ripe and determined upon conclusion of collation of all the results from the 20 local government areas in the state and the margin between the winner and runner up is known.

“This is the provision of the law as provided in the regulation and guidelines for the conduct of elections, specifically paragraphs 33 (a) and (e) and 34 (e).

“By the combined effects of the paragraphs, the commission shall wait to determine the margin of lead between the two leading candidates of the governorship election after collation of the overall results of the election before deciding to embark on the supplementary poll. Hence there is no basis for a supplementary election at the polling units cancelled.”

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He then called on INEC to immediately suspend the supplementary election until collation of results from Tafawa Balewa has been concluded.

Meanwhile, the total number of registered voters for the supplementary governorship poll is 22,759.

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