PDP rejects Kaduna council polls results, threatens court action

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State on Sunday rejected the results of local government council elections, saying it would go to court to challenge the outcome of the polls.



The party announced its plans just as its chairmanship candidate in Kachia local council was declared the winner.

Mr Nuhu Garba, SIECOM’s returning officer for the council, said Mr Peter Agite of the PDP won the chairmanship seat with 42,242 votes beating his APC counterpart, Peter Dan-Baki, who got 33, 817 votes in the polls.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM) had through its local government returning officers, released some of the results with the ruling APC winning in most of the local government areas released so far.

So far, the APC has won 17 local councils, while PDP has won two. The election in two local councils, Jaba and Kauru was postponed, while tallying has not been concluded for Chikun local council.

There are 23 local councils in Kaduna state.

The Chairman of PDP, Mr Felix Hassan Hyet, who addressed a news conference in his office on Sunday, however, alleged that his party had been “shortchanged“ going by the results released in 13 local government areas of the state.

He said “the party would soon release its field results of the just concluded local polls.

According to him, the PDP agents have submitted their reports which, he claimed, were at variance with the results announced by the local government returning officers.

Hyet further claimed that most of the results announced so far were through radio stations rather than the returning officers, whom he alleged disappeared after the conclusion of the election.

The Chairman, however, appealed to the party supporters to remain calm, assuring that the party would follow legal means to address the injustice.

He said the commission should have requested some of the manufacturers of the Electronic Voting Machines stay behind to monitor the machines to avoid malfunction experienced in some polling units.

Hyet alleged that some machines were snatched to unknown destinations and results were later released by the returning officers.

“We call you to brief you on the update of the local election results of 13 local government so far released.

“”Some local government results were not announced by the returning officers but by radio stations. At the moment we have some local government areas like, Kaduna South,Chikun,Kajuru,Jema’a,Kagarko,Sanga, still awaiting to be announced.

“”The returning officers have disappeared completely. Even some of the wards returning officers also disappeared.

“”We are waiting for the returning officers to come out and announce the results in local government areas yet to be announced.

“Our agents have submitted the results to us and we will take necessary legal steps to address the injustices,“” Hyet said.