The Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] should immediately declare the APC candidate, Alhaji Nasiru Idris, Kauran Gwandu, as winner of the Kebbi State governorship election instead of saying it is inconclusive, Deputy Director General of the APC Governorship Campaign in the state Alhaji Abubakar Gari Malam, Shettiman Gwandu, urged on Friday. INEC’s Returning Officer Professor Yusuf Sa’idu had on Monday declared the results to be inconclusive due to what he said was cancellation of polling unit results in 20 of the state’s 21 local governments.
Speaking in Abuja, Malam, who is a retired Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, said, “Results from the election showed that APC’s candidate Alhaji Nasiru Idris, Kauran Gwandu, polled 388,258 while his closest rival, PDP candidate Major General Aminu Bande [retired], polled 342,980 votes. There is no need to declare the election inconclusive. Our candidate won fair and square. He is leading with 45,278 votes. In some states, candidates were declared winners when the margin was a fraction of that. There is no need for a supplementary election.”
Malam said, “INEC cancelled election results in some polling units because of overvoting and violence. Remember, the PDP candidate’s wife heads a department in INEC. It was also PDP that triggered violence in some of the polling units because they know they are our strongholds. Despite all the PDP machinations, we are still very comfortably ahead. Even if it holds supplementary elections, we are confident of increasing our margin of victory because all the areas where the polls were cancelled are our strongholds.
“I urge INEC to immediately declare our candidate as the winner of the election so that the people of Kebbi State, like those of most other states, will have peace of mind and go about their normal lives,” Malam concludes.
