APC wins Kaduna council elections as PDP protests, alleges fraud

Clears councillorship three wards’ seats in Niger bye-election
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State won 16 of the 23 local councils’ chairmanship and councillorship elections at the weekend, amidst protests by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Results released by the state’s Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM) returning officers, however, showed that the PDP only won in three local councils.Elections were however, suspended in Kaura and Jaba councils following an attack on the electoral offices in the areas on Friday night. A breakdown of the election results announced by the Returning Officer, Chinedu Richard, indicated that in Kagarko Local Council, the APC polled 65,226 to defeat the PDP, which garnered 14,658 votes.

In Kaduna North, the returning officer, Umar Hayatu, declared the APC winner having polled 168,572 as against PDP’s 12,467. In Zaria Local Council, the APC won with 42,859 votes against PDP’s 16,033 votes, while APC got 46,535 votes to defeat the PDP, which polled 13,898 in Kubau Council. 

The APC also won in Makarfi Local Council, where former governor and National Chairman of the PDP, Ahmed Makarfi hails from.Other councils won by the APC include Jama’a, Soba, Kudan Lere, Ikara, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Kudan, Igabi and Kajuru local councils, while PDP won in Zango Kataf, Kauru and Sanga local councils. 

However, the results of Chikun, Kaduna South and Sabon Gari local councils were still being expected as at the time of this report. Representative of Jema’a/Sanga Constituency in the House of Representatives, Shehu Nicholas Garba, said that the PDP would use every legitimate means to protect the people’s mandate at the local government elections in Jema’a.

His faulted the results of the council polls following an earlier allegation by the PDP about APC’s plans to rig election in Jema’a Local Council.Garba told journalists in Kafanchan yesterday that the election, which would have been the best ever not only in the state but in the country, was highly compromised. 

He stressed the need for strict adherence to due process, especially during elections, adding: “We are supposed to be in the forefront of deepening the democratic process in our country, but what we have witnessed is far from that picture.”Also, Chairman, PDP Stakeholder’s Forum in Jema’a, Edward Masha, said the party had written a petition to protect the people’s mandate. 

Meanwhile, the APC in Niger State has cleared councillorship seats in the bye-election conducted in three wards, the State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), has disclosed.Secretary of the commission, Abdullahi Habibu, said in Minna yesterday that the APC candidate for Barwa Ward in Wushishi Local Council, Malam Umar Sheshi, was declared winner of the election.He said Sheshi scored 1,087 votes against Sagir Ahmadu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who scored 256 and PDP, which garnered 370 votes.