|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Akanji Olowolodu, Bauchi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Bauchi State has been commended for enhancing technology based electoral system that ensured free, fair and credible election process which is expected to be the best since 1979.
The commendation was made by a group known as Bauchi Emancipation Forum (Project Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar 2023) which however opined that if not for rationality of desperate human being, the election process would have been the best.
The group is however praying that INEC and all other relevant stakeholders should look into the series of complaints it observed in its conduct and revisit the conduct of the Gubernatorial Election held on 18/03.2023 in Bauchi State.
In a Press Release on the Gubernatorial Election conducted by Independent National Electoral Commission held on 18th March, 2023 titled ‘The Bauchi State Case’, the group stated that, “it will be recalled that the General election for the position of Governorship was conducted across 23 states of Nigeria in which Bauchi State was one of them.”
According to the group, “However, the election in Bauchi state was marred by a lot of irregularities ranging from delay in delivery of electoral materials, claimed over-voting, election disruption, destruction of ballot boxes/papers and above all, vote buying in the open space.”
The group through Prof. Mansur Usman Malumfashi, Chairman and Habib Shehu Jibrin, Secretary stated that the Bauchi Emancipation Forum (BEF) engaged Professors from the Academia to serve as Observers and report to the office of the All-Progressive Congres (APC) Gubernatorial Candidate Situation Room on the Election date.
“Unfortunately, some of these observers were denied access to the Collation Centres despite carrying the approved identity (Party tag) especially in Bauchi LGA where the entire road was blocked and some few agents were made to submit their result copies to unknown officials and return without any valid
evidence to authenticate the result,” it claimed.
Bauchi Emancipation Forum further alleged that,”It was also reported that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was compromised in many voting
units in some LGAs across the state leading to cancellation of results of affected polling units especially
stronghold APC areas.”
According to the Forum,”One pathetic situation was a video showing how security agents chased away the APC Polling Units Agents in Sakwa, Zaki LGA as clearly stated by an identified agent. Similarly, in Alkaleri, evidences proved that some agents were molested and chased away by thugs and disenfranchised to perform their civil responsibility.”
“What followed, was arbitrary thumb printing of ballot papers without accreditation and inclusion of such in the main results. Only the INEC’s IRev can justify non-accredited votes counted to
justify success to the Governor-elect,” The group claimed.
It stressed that, “Another episode is the destruction of the ballot boxes and ballot papers at the Warji Chief’s Palace whereb
papers were seen splashing the streets. A video indicates an APC agent complaining that at the PU where the former APC state Chairman and the Senatorial Candidate in the just concluded Election was supposed
cast his vote was distracted by some hoodlums and the casted votes were seen destroyed and replaced with another set of Ballot papers; and yet the votes were counted without screening and recorded to give success to the PDP candidate.”
“In the same vein, at Beni Ward of Kirti LGA, cases of Over-Voting were recorded because it was a stronghold of APC controlled area and the attempt to cancel the PU’s result was deliberate just to reduce the number of the votes,” It further alleged.
According to the Forum, “In a deceptive mode, the Presiding Officer (PO) of one unit was apprehended by the Police and that was the end of discussion as the votes of that unit were lost by all. The agents agreed that let the extra votes be removed so that counting will continue and scores given to the candidates that earned them but it was refused and all the votes were lost by all the candidates.”
At Gamawa, the Forum alleged that 8 PUs results were canceled on the claim of over voting. They include: UDUBO- Marana Primary School I 05-07-044, Majumba Village 05-07-05, RAGA-Taranka Village 05-07-027, Isari Village 05-07-007, ZINDIWA- Garin Kure Primary School- 05-07-009, TARMASUWA-Tarmasuwa Primary School I- 05-07-08-001, Tarmasuwa Primary School II- 05002 and Alhajeri Village -05-07-08-005.
“All these are APC stronghold areas, then why the over-voting. Who came with the additional votes? Are the Ballot papers genuine? Who issued Ballot papers to
the accredited voters? There is need to investigate and recount these votes in favour of the peoples’ choice,” The Forum stressed.
It stressed that the law should act appropriately on the issuers to safeguard the integrity of the umpire alleging that, “In Bauchi LGA, specifically at Durum village, our agents informed us that BVAS was not used for accreditation and voting. Instead, alternative Ballot papers were brought and inserted into the Ballot box in the daylight and the Agents were not given any chance to lay their complains.”
According to it,”This is the same thing
that happened at Wayan Makafi where there are three PUs. A host of similar experiences should be investigated across the metropolitan PUS.”
It however claimed that, “in Ganjuwa LGA, arbitrary votes were dropped in favour of NNPP and the BVAS was not used in
PUs especially within Kafin Madaki, the LG headquarter. Similarly in Toro LGA, Over-Voting was recordied and the use of BVAS was compromised in a number of PUs at Tilden Fulani, Rahama and Toro Town.
“Vote buying was perpetuated in virtually all the LGA headquarters. This process was done openly by distributing cash for vote or material per vote. The election officials are not stopping the perpetrators who gave them additional courage to make their ways by taking the position of do or die affair.
