Paul Orude, Bauchi
The declaration of the supplementary election results for Bauchi State took an unexpected twist with the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ibrahim Abdullahi, stating that the election Returning Officer Professor Kyari Mohammed had not arrived for results to be announced.
According to him, the public should discountenance insinuations that there were plans to alter the results in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
Speaking at a short briefing with journalists at about 1am on Sunday, which did not last more than five minutes, Abdullahi said, “It was necessary. l brief you on the situation in view of what is circulating in the social media on the purported plans to alter the results.
“INEC is not an interested party in the outcome of the election. With the way INEC has improved the system of election, where results are announced from polling units to wards and to local governments and the state, there is no way anybody can change he result.
“It would be virtually impossible to change the results, but when the thing lingers for too long people begin to wonder so many things,” he stated.
The REC explained that the delay in the announcement of the results was because the Returning Officer for the state was yet to arrive the state from Yola.
“All the results in the 15 local governments areas have been brought in. We are waiting for the arrival of the returning officer. Please be patient”
However, in his reaction the Chairman of United Progressive Party (UPP) of Political, Professor Sani Mallami, dispelled the claims by the REC for the delay as lies.
According to him, the delay was a deliberate plot to manipulate the results of the election in Bauchi State by INEC.
He said: “It is not true. Our investigation revealed that he is around. We learnt he met with all the Electoral Officers of the affected local governments and they are changing the results . What has emerged is that there is a pattern in the behavior of the REC, and what is happening this morning doesn’t surprise anybody at all; but what is surprising is the extent of desperation and the willingness that he and his collaborators are willing to go in order to upturn this will for who or which party they wish, and also their willingness to put the lives of millions of people at risk.”
He lamented that the people are angry that the election had since been concluded in other parts of the country but “he alone has emerged as the villain who is held bent on destroy Bauchi State.”