PAUL ORUDE, BAUCHI

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that Governor Mohammed Abubakar was so desperate to stop the re-election of speaker Yakubu Dogara that he was driven to Dass in an unofficial open Vetra car to manipulate Dogara’s result.

Chairman of the party in the state, Alhaji Hamza Akuyam, made tbe allegation while reacting to a press release by chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Uba Nana, at a press conference on Monday, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to cancel the result of the election of Dogara due to what APC described as irregularities and malpractices.

Akuyam, while responding to Uba Nana at a press conference at the NUJ secretariat on Tuesday, alleged that all plans by the governor and his cohorts to stop Dogara failed, “and has resorted to press release in order to declare the election result as inconclusive.”

Akuyam said: “As a lawyer and former REC, His Excellency ought to know that once a candidate has been declared as winners of an election, the only option for his opponent is to go to the election petition tribunal.”

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Akuyam said, the release by the APC was a confirmation of failed plots aimed at subverting the wishes of the of Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro whom Dogara represents by the APC, adding that the APC had been bent on subverting Dogara’s effort right before the election.

Akuyam stated that, in the press release, the statement in paragraph one stated that “All Progressive Congress Bauchi State chapter hereby gives NOTICE to the Independent National Electoral Commission’ INEC’, all security Agencies and the public that the election on the 23rd February, 2019 in Dass,Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro federal constituency was marred by massive irregularities'”

“But in paragraph 2, the release stated there was no election at all in Bogoro LGA, some parts of Wait ward, Lere North, Lere South, Tapshin ward of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area. The obvious contradictory stand is the futile effort to fish out reasons for crying wolf.”

The PDP chairman who was in company with several Dogara supporters and party faithful, assert that the election was monitored by both national and international observers and adjudged to be free and fair.

Akuyam who stated that the election in the three local government areas was peaceful pointed out no adverse report was issued by any of the observers challenging the conduct of the election or that election did not hold in any polling unit or electoral ward in the three local government areas.

He alleged that APC members tried to cause confusion in some polling units so that there will be reason to declare the election as inconclusive but could not succeeding adding that the PDP had informing that the PDP had informed its supporters to be peaceful.

“We urge INEC to disregard the publication by Alhaji Ahmed Nana of the APC and the members of the public to regard a claim in the press release as diversionary by a drowning party,” Akuyam stated.