Rescheduled poll fails to hold in two Kaduna LGs

Saratu Dikko, chairman of Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission, says the rescheduled election did not hold in Chikun and Kaura local government areas of the state, on Wednesday.

The commission had rescheduled the election on May 12.

But at a press conference on Friday evening, Dikko said different results were declared by separate officials in the election conducted in Jaba local government.

“Free, fair and credible election was conducted in Jaba local government during the rescheduled polls, but two results were announced from the same election,” she said.

According to her, only the tribunal could resolve the issue and advised the two political parties that participated in the exercise to approach the local government election tribunal on the matter.

On the failed election in Chikun and and Kaura local government areas, the chairman said the commission would come out with a position later.

“Chikun LGA held no elections on June 6 during the rescheduled polls because our office was invaded and staff molested. Elections did not hold, ” she said.

She added that the result declared by one Sani Mohammed, who claimed to be the returning officer for the local government, was fake.

On the situation in Kaura, she said some stakeholders had refused to allow the distribution of election materials insisted that the returning officers must be around for easy identification at the end of the exercise.

Dikko, however, said the rescheduled poll held in some wards of Kaduna South local government area, where it was earlier declared inconclusive.

The chairman said after the final tally of the votes, Kabiru Yakubu-Jarumi, the chairmanship candidate of the APC won with 50,404 votes while the PDP candidate scored 23,425 votes.

She said the election was also concluded in Makarfi central ward in Makarfi local government area where Suleiman Adamu of the APC won with 1,770 votes against PDP”s Aliyu Lawal who scored 1,615 votes.