APM alleges irregularities, rejects results in Ogun State

• PDP officials protest against polls outcome in Kaduna
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ogun State has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend announcement of Saturday’s gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections results in the state.Chairman of APM Campaign Organisation, Sarafa Isola, made the call yesterday at a media briefing in Abeokuta.

Isola alleged that some hoodlums and unidentified men in uniform disrupted the votes counting process at various centres and falsified the result sheets in several council areas.The affected council areas, according to Isola are, Abeokuta-South, Abeokuta-North, Odeda, Ifo, Obafemi-Owode and all council areas in the Ogun-East Senatorial district.

“In local governments areas like Sagamu, Odogbolu and Ogun Waterside where APM won, the results were changed to deny our party victory.
In other local governments won by APC, the figures were altered to increase the margin between APC and APM.“The disruptions were clearly designed to ensure that APM does not meet the required constitutional requirement of 25 per cent of votes in the council areas of Ogun-East Senatorial district.

“It was also designed to suppress APM’s electoral strength in Ogun Central Senatorial district where the party clearly enjoys superior strength,” he said.He added that the suspension of the results was necessary to enable INEC investigate the infractions.

“On behalf of the APM, I hereby formally reject the collation process that was hijacked and compromised because it did not reflect the wishes of Ogun people as freely expressed during the March 9 polls,” he added. Isola said the APM had made a formal protest to INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, saying they were against the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State has faulted conduct of the governorship and National Assembly elections amidst INEC’s release of the results, saying PDP will not accept what it described as doctored results by the state government.State Chairman of PDP, Felix Hassan Hyat, was speaking in the midst of announcement of results, which put Governor Nasir el-Rufai ahead of PDP’s candidate, Isa Ashiru in 11 local government areas.

The results announced by INEC’s returning officer, Professor Muhammed Yahuza Bello, showed that All Progressives Congress (APC) was leading in Jaba, Kajuru, Makarfi and Kudan local councils.Others are Ikara, Kubau, Kachia Giwa, Soba and Kaura local government areas.
Hyat insisted that the party would not accept the results that did not reflect the wishes of Kaduna voters.