PAUL ORUDE, Bauchi
Angry youths at Malar Giji Primary School Polling Unit 008, Bogoro D Ward in Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State, have chased away the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the area, Elisha Gwamis, for alleged vote buying.
The affected PU has 1, 130 registered voters.
Our correspondent learnt that Gwamis allegedly came to the Polling Unit with money in his car to induce voters.
It was learnt further that he allegedly went there in the morning and called some people aside and started giving them money to make them vote for the APC.
The youths noticed what was going on and chased him away; but for the security personnel, the caretaker chairman, could have been beaten to a pulp by angry youths, an eye witness who pleaded anonymity, said.
Gwamis, who spoke with newsmen on phone dismissed the allegation saying they were “baseless and false.”
He explained that he went to the polling unit but left almost immediately when suddenly some thugs attacked him.
“I went to the polling unit and left after about five minutes. I entered my brother’s house close to the place and after greeting them, I came out and stood close to my car when the youths gathered round me demanding to know what I was doing there.
“Before I knew it, one of them hit me on my chest and another youth raised the big stick he was holding in his hand and wanted to smash my head. It was the security personnel present that quickly intervened and rescued me. “These allegations are baseless, false and unfounded. I know those thugs and I know who they were working for.”
A lawmaker in the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Aminu Tukur, alleged that Governor Mohammed Abubakar’s desperation to win the election in the state had made him waste government money.
Speaking with newsmen in an interview, he said the All Progressives Congress in the state and its governorship candidates, Abubakar were self-centred, adding that it was a known fact to the public.
Tukur, who insisted that he was still a member of the APC, represents Lere/Bula in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
He said: “What we want the world to know is the grand plan by the Bauchi State government to rig the elections which the Federal government has allowed him to do in connivance with the security agencies and INEC.
“The people of Bauchi State are waiting for the whole world to come and bail them out because they are about to be robbed of the mandate given to Sen. Bala Mohammed to lead the state.”
He alleged that the APC government was bent on seeing that the yearnings and aspirations of the Bauchi State were thrashed by forcing Gov. Abubakar on the people.
He wondered why supplementary election was being held when results of Tafawa Balewa LGA were still pending.
“They want him to continue his maladministration, mismanagement of our resources and mismanagement of our collective intelligence to service personal interests; that is what is happening in the political arena in Bauchi State.
“By the laws of the land and provisions of the Electoral Act, a re-run is done to augment the difference and should only be done when elections have been concluded,” he said.
In an earlier reaction to allegations that the party was planning to rig the elections, the APC state chairman, Uba Nana, at a press conference, denied such plans.
According to him, “there is no such plans by the APC, it is the PDP that is planning to do that but for us, we don’t even know how to rig. They are the people that are used to rigging, for us, we believe that the people will vote for us.”