The Independent National Electoral Commission has currently declared the Kebbi governorship election inconclusive. The two major parties that contested the election were the APC and the PDP.
The Collation and Returning Officer of the election, Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, announced this on Monday morning. Specifically, at the collation centre situated at INEC headquarters in Birnin Kebbi. Further, he said there were cancellations in 20 local government areas in the state. Kebbi State has 21 local government areas.
Sa’idu said: “We aggregated the total number of collected PVCs in those polling units, and it came to a total of 91,829.” Meanwhile, while the results of the two leading parties were being checked, APC polled 388,258 votes. PDP had a total of 342,980. Then, the difference stands at 45,278.
The electoral body in Kebbi State had to refer to the electoral laws on page 31 of the Electoral Act 2022, Section 51, Subsections 2 and 3, for guidance. The law reads, “Where the number of votes cast in an election in any polling unit exceeds the number of accredited voters in that polling unit, the presiding officer shall cancel the result of the election in that polling unit.”
Also, sub-section three of Section 51 states that where the result of an election is cancelled in accordance with Subsection 2, there shall be no return for the election until another poll has taken place in the affected polling unit.
Finally, it is on these grounds that Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu declared the Kebbi governorship election inconclusive.
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