AA, PDP protest Gombe Gov results
….. Lament intimidation, harassment, vote buying
By Chima Azubuike
Action Alliance on Sunday staged a walk out of the the collation centre, following the inability of the returning officer Professor Maimuna Waziri, to resolve irregularities raised.
The party said it would not sign the result, adding that it was inappropriate for a winner to emerge under the rancorous process.
Chairman of AA, Auwal Ibrahim, before walking out of the centre said, “We will not sign this result because of the various irregularities.”
Recall that Waziri declared Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, re-elected, having polled 342,821 to defeat Peoples Democratic Party Muhammad Barde who scored 233,131, with vote margin 109,609.
However, out of 618,231 accredited voters, 11390 votes were voided, with 616,745 as total votes cast and 605,355 as total valid votes.
Raising observations about Dukku, Yalmatu Deba, Kwami, Funakaye Local Government Areas collation agent of PDP Major General D Ahmadu (retd.), highlighted various infractions ranging from vote buying, harassment, intimidation, assault and outright violence.
Ahmadu, who advised the returning officer Waziri to reconsider the challenges their party’s agent faced in Dukku said, “He resides in Gombe Tudunwada, went with thugs to Malala polling unit 001, pulled out knife and threatened one Alhaji Wada, a PDP observer and in the process stabbed him in the hand and he has been hospitalised.
“There was vote buying, they ended up carting away ballot boxes and they went to the District Heads house and starched it ballot papers. So, we are not accepting the Dukku result based on what had happened.”
Waziri said the Collation Officer failed to indicate his observations while the Election Officer for the Local Government was around adding that “right now the EO has has gone, so let continue,” she said.
Lamenting further the challenges faced by his party in Funakaye, Ahmadu alleged that with the support of Commissioner for Internal Security and Ethical Orientation Dishi Kupto, who arrived with five Hilux vehicles, to rig the electoral process.
“In Kupto ward, I’m so surprised that the commissioner is involved, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Ethical Orientation Gombe State went with five Hilux vehicles took electoral materials to the District Head and stuffed it up,” Ahmadu said.
He further questioned the Yalmatu Deba Local Government Area Collation Officer for the announced results saying that the election was marred by violence, adding “I asked my party’s agent why he has not submitted his results he said he has about 39 results that he has not been able to collate. So, I wouldn’t know where this results are coming from, we are not accepting the results for Deba Local Government.”
