Jigawa conducts LG polls

The Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC) yesterday conducted local government council elections despite an order secured by the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Peoples Democratic Party, from the Federal High Court in Dutse, restraining it from conducting the exercise.

The court order secured by the Makarfi-led PDP reads in part, “that this means that the first defendant/ respondent (JISIEC) is hereby restrained from conducting the Jigawa State Local Government election without the 26-52 plaintifs/ applicants (Makarfi-led PDP candidates) scheduled for July, 1, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”

Earlier, leader of the PDP and a former governor of the state, Sule Lamido, announced the decision of his party to boycott the election, insisting that there was a court order restraining JISEIC from conducting the election.

The former governor said he was “flabbergasted by the action of JISIEC, which did not only substitute the names of our candidates in favour of Senator Ali Modu Sherrif-led PDP candidates but also used the money paid by individual candidates as form fees for the Sheriff’s faction candidates”.

Speaking to journalists while casting his vote in his home town, Babura, the state governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, said he was not aware of any court.

On whether he was aware that the major opposition party was boycotting the election, he said, “to the best of my knowledge, no party boycotted the election”.

Also speaking, lawyer to the Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC), Barrister Baffa Alhassan said, the court order elapsed on June, 29 and that the conduct of the election did not contravene any order.

In most of the places visited by Daily Trust on Sunday, there was low turn-out of voters.