Palpable tension is rising in Kajuru, Chikun, Jema’a, Kaduna South and Kagarko Local Government over the disappearance of the Local Government Electoral Officers since yesterday Saturday evening shortly after collecting results from the electoral officers from the Polling Units.
There are fears that the disappeared electoral officers were working hard to change the election results allegedly in favour of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
This paper understands that it took frantic efforts from youths in Sanga and Kauru local government areas for the returning officers to reappear and announce the results in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates.
In Chikun local government area, the returning officer who had disappeared on Saturday, showed up Sunday afternoon to begins collation of results from ward electoral officers.
In Kajuru, the Local Government Electoral Officer was said to have disappeared around 5:00pm in Saturday after the elections were completed.
Hon. Isa Dansallah, a former Chairman of the local government said the electoral officer by name Elisha Gandu along with the APC agents took off after Uba Sani, the Special Adviser Political to Governor Nasir el-rufai visited the place with uniform men.
Isah Dansallah said from the results so far, the PDP won nine of the ten wards in Kajuru local government area.
He explained that PDP agents and some electorates had to spend the night guarding the electoral materials overnight and till the time of filling this report, they were no where to be found.
He asserted that there are plans to announce a different result.
In Rigachukwu, Igabi Local Government, those who spoke to our Correspondent said there was no election as neither electoral materials nor the State Independent Electoral Commission SIECOM showed up throughout yesterday for the polls.
A former Member of House of Representatives, Ibrahim Bello Rigachukun said all frantic efforts made by the stakeholders to reach out to SIECOM for inquiry on why they were being disenfranchised proved abortive as non of the officials answer phone calls put across to them nor return the calls or reply the short messages SMS sent to them.
In Kaduna South local government, all the electoral officers were whisk away into a popular hotel in Kaduna and were forced to manipulate the outcome of the election I’m favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Jema’a local government area of Kaduna State have raised concerns over alleged plans by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to manipulate results of local government elections in its favour.
PDP Returning Officer in the Local government, Mr Joshua Aku who disclosed this on Sunday to newsmen in Kafanchan said reports reaching the party had it that the eight KAD-SIECOM Returning Officers who were yet to bring their results to the collation center in Kafanchan are alleged to be in Kaduna.
“We have been reliably informed that about plans to manipulate the results and announce it in Kaduna in favor of APC.
“This plans is only tantamount to gross act of electoral malpractice and we hereby condemn it in its totality.
Mr Aku urged authorities concern to act accordingly to avoid any possible breakdown
of law and order.
When contacted, Mr Harold Makeri, Returning Officer for Jema’a local government said rules of elections were very clear as such, anyone acting contrary was only doing that at their own risk.
Makeri said he was only answerable to KAD-SIECOM explaining that four results including those from, Aso, Takau, Atuku and Bedde wards had so far been returned, adding, “winners can not be declared yet as the results are inconclusive”.
Our Correspondent reports that results of eight wards in Jema’a local government area including, Kafanchan A and B, Maigizo, Gidan Waya, Godogodo, Jagindi, Kagoma and Kaninkon were yet to be returned as at the time of fielding this report.
