…. PDP rejects result, says its daylight robbery; victory obtained through violence, thuggery, voter intimidation.
BY: ANGO DON BALLY
Barnabas Haruna DanMaigona of the APC has emerged winer of Kauri/Chawai State House of Assembly Constituency, following Saturday’s supplementary election. The election was declared inconclusive on March 18, 2023.
Announcing the election result, the State Assembly Returning Officer, Professor Muhammad Sani Salau of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria said Barnabas DanMaigona “polled 23,687 votes to defeat his PDP opponent, Yohana Gandu Chawai who came second with 23,656 votes” in the keenly contest, with the Labour Party Candidate, Adamu Bala who emerged a distant third “with 6,158 votes.”
Yohana Chawai had led Barnabas DanMaigona with 195 votes in the March 18 election, but it was declared inconclusive by the lndependent National Electoral Commission (lNEC). However, DanMaigona garnered 338 votes in the supplementary election, while Chawai got 111 votes, thereby defeating Chawai with 31 votes margin difference.
Speaking shortly after the declaration of the result, the APC State party Secretary, Yahaya Baba Pate who served as the APC Agent, thanked the voters for coming out en mass to vote for Barnabas DanMaigona and the APC, He called “for all and sundry to support the newly Member-elect for the desired dividends of democracy to abound for effective representation.”
However, the PDP Local Government Collation Officer, Barrister Simon Arabo who refused to sign the result, described the supplementary election at Kahuta polling unit as “day light robbery.” He alleged that “the election was marred with violence, voters intimidation”, adding that “while the PDP candidate was leading to victory, APC agents brought in thugs who chased away PDP supporters who were queuing to vote, while the Police also teargassed voters to disperse them.”
He explained further: “the victory given to APC was obtained through violence, thuggery, voter intimidation and it is rejected by the PDP”, adding that “the party will review the election and make known it’s next line of action”.
On his part, the PDP House of Assembly candidate, Yohana Chawai, described the re-run election as “the best movie of the year, 2023,” saying “it was a comedy that was marked with action thereby getting what they wanted at all costs.”
The News lcon reports that in Kahuta Polling Unit of Kwasam Ward which had 995 registered voters in the two wards where the supplementary elections were conducted, the election was marred by voter intimidation by thugs who intermittently, chased away voters while queuing to vote including some journalists who were also attacked while monitoring the election.
Some voters who ran into their homes, were not so lucky enough, as the thugs who were seeing wielding dangerous weapons such as sticks, knives and cudgels, also followed and beat them up, thereby disenfranchising most of them from voting, while the police use tear gas to disperse the invading thugs.
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