The main opposition party in Bauchi, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has rejected the results of the local government election held in the state on Saturday, August 17, describing it as a blatant robbery of the electorate’s rights and a mockery of democracy.
This comes after the Executive Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC), Alhaji Ahmed Makama, declared that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state won all the 20 local government chairmanship seats in the election.
Speaking at a press conference held at the APC secretariat on Saturday, the party’s Legal Adviser in the state, Barrister Rabiu Garba, criticized the election, alleging it was a political manoeuvre by the PDP-led administration in Bauchi State.
“As we rightly pointed out yesterday [Friday], BASIEC had no intention of conducting a free, fair, and credible election. What we witnessed today in all 20 local government areas was a deceptive drama and a mockery of innocent voters and politicians,” Garba said.
“The so-called election was marred by numerous irregularities, including inadequate election materials, withheld sensitive materials and result sheets, votes allocated to the PDP, absence of Returning Officers to officially declare results, abandonment of election materials at polling units by fleeing electoral officers, and non-conduct of elections in most polling units across Bauchi State,” he said.
The APC demanded the immediate resignation of Ahmad Makama as Chairman of the Commission, accusing him of failing to uphold his Oath of Office.
The party also called on BASIEC to cancel the local government elections conducted on August 17, 2024 in the state, urging the state government to dissolve the current management of the Electoral Commission and reconstitute a credible team to conduct fresh elections that would be free, fair, credible, and in line with international best practices.
