PDP petitions INEC, wants elections in 7 states cancelled

Oduah defeats Obaze for Anambra North Senatorial seat Opponent to challenge Kwara Speaker’s election as Rep member

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for cancellation of last Saturday’s presidential election in seven states of the federation.

PDP deputy national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, told newsmen yesterday in Abuja that it was necessary for elections in Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, Katsina, Bauchi, Kogi and Kaduna to be cancelled.

He said their call for cancellation of the election in those states was due to “irregularities” perpetrated in the states such as under-aged and midnight voting noticed in most polling units accompanied by massive rigging.

He said the call for cancellation in Gombe State was because election results were sent even from areas affected by violence.

Secondus said the PDP has commenced the process of filing a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja, noting that the party in these states have filed petitions at the state level.

“We call for the cancellation of elections in Kano, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Kogi and Kaduna. The cancellation is based on under-age voting, attacks by insurgents and midnight voting where rigging took place. This is to let them know we know what is going on.

“Our party in these states have already filed petition to the INEC office in the states but we will file at the national headquarters in Abuja,” he said. Former minister of aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, in the declared results for Anambra North senatorial zone has emerged winner defeating her closest opponent, Chief Dubem Obaze of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Total results of the senatorial district as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, Dr Celestine Okaro, said Oduah of the PDP scored 143,478 votes while Obaze of APGA scored 70,906 votes.

A breakdown of the results showed that in Onitsha North LGA, the PDP candidate polled 42,239 while that of APGA got 8,868 while in Onitsha South, the PDP scored 25,890 and APGA polled 10,112 votes.

In Ayamelum, the PDP candidate scored 9,782 while APGA got 15, 292 while in Oyi, the PDP got 12,301 with APGA polling 10,683 votes. In Ogbaru, PDP scored 33,542 votes while APGA scored 7,558 votes.

In Anambra East, PDP got 8,871 while APGA got 12,342, and in Anambra West PDP polled 9,007 votes and APGA 5,863 votes. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ilorin West/Asa federal constituency in Kwara State, Alhaji Sherrif Shagaya, has expressed his intention to challenge the outcome of the election in the constituency where the Speaker of the House, Barrister Razaq Atunwa, was declared winner.

Atunwa was declared winner with 58, 227 votes as against Shagaya’s 31, 469 votes. But Shagaya, son of a business mogul, Hajia Muinat Shagaya, and associate of First Lady Patience Jonathan, said several infractions were observed in the final results which have substantially affected the election.

“As we receive and assess copies of the official results and review the general conduct of the election in Ilorin West/Asa federal constituency, several infractions have been observed. We believe these infractions have substantially affected the outcome of the election. These infractions, in the interest of our democracy, posterity and rule of law, must never go unchallenged.

“It is against this background that we would be challenging the outcome of the election in our federal constituency in the law court.

“Having said this, we urge our supporters to remain calm, peaceful and orderly and to avoid any provocation from any quarters,” he said.