Niger: PDP Kicks As INEC Declares March 9 Assembly Poll Inconclusive

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it did not declare any of the contestants from the 25 Local Government Areas winner in the  March 9, 2019 governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Niger State.

The clarifications came almost two weeks after the conduct of the governorship and State House of Assembly election by the INEC, which contradicted earlier information that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the 27 seats in the state legislature.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cried foul over INEC’s plan to conduct a supplementary poll in the Agaie, insisting that its candidate, Alhaji Yahaya Abdullahi, won the March 9 House of Assembly election.

It was gathered that election for Agaie House of Assembly constituency was declared inconclusive due to alleged malpractices in two units, in contradiction of earlier declaration by the agency.

Our correspondent learnt that in the results so far announced by INEC, the APC candidate, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi, scored 17, 920 votes, while the candidate of the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Yahaya Abdullahi, got 18, 026 votes.

Though the results were announced by the Returning Officer for the local government, Professor Musa G. M. Kolo, it was learnt that the declaration was being disputed by stakeholders, hence INEC fixed Saturday for a supplementary election in the two units.

These were Etsugaie polling unit at Jikpangi, with 825 registered voters, and Magaji polling unit- at Wunadaganci, with 612 registered voters.

Arthur Adzape, Head of Voter Education and Publicity for INEC in Niger State, said the commission was set for the rerun and charged all the stakeholders to prepare to participate.

He said: “There was never time we declared a winner for Agaie House of Assembly constituency. We made announcement for only 26 constituencies.”

Abubakar Ndeji, the party’s Local Government Council Chairman, accused INEC of trying to play the script of a top APC member from the area who had vowed to win the seat for his party at all cost.