The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State has rejected the entire results of Saturday’s local government elections in the state, saying that the results as announced by the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC) were mere political chicanery and mischievous shenanigan masterminded by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Local government elections were conducted in the state last Saturday for the first time in over 12 years with the ruling PDP clearing all the 20 chairmanship seats and the 323 councillorship seats in the state.
With a formal announcement of the results of the elections, which witnessed voters’ apathy, the state governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, sworn in the newly elected council chairmen in Bauchi on Sunday and charged them to move closer to the people at the grassroots.
Addressing a press conference in Bauchi, the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Ahmed Uba Nana, described the elections as a ploy by the PDP-led state government to deprive the people of the state their constitutionally guaranteed right to exercise their franchise.
The APC chairman declared that what happened during the elections were clearly robbery, which he said his party completely disassociated itself from.
“As a political party, the APC totally disassociated itself from the broad-day robbery of the peoples’ mandate and shall within the confines of the law, strive to restore the said mandate as soon as practicable,” Uba Nana said.
According to him, any persons sworn in to office based on the unlawful PDP/BASIEC results are only occupying the seats illegally and without the support of the people.
He, however, said that his party would not approach the state local government elections petition tribunal, which was inaugurated on 13th October, 2020, adding that APC will not get justice from the tribunal.
Alhaji Uba Nana called on security agencies in the state to comply with their constitutional role of protecting lives and property of citizens, adding that they should not allow themselves to be useful tools in the hands of the state government to victimize APC members in the state.
He then called on his party members and other stakeholders in the state to remain law-abiding, assuring them that the party will do everything possible within the confines of the law to restore its mandate as given by the people of the state during the elections.
