APC Clears Council Polls in Yobe

Michael Olugbode

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, has won all the 17 local government areas elections recently held in the state.

The election was made easy for the party when few days to the polls, all other political parties withdrew with little excuse.

Surprising was the withdrawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the excuse that it cannot afford to sponsors any candidate due to high cost of nomination form.

The chairmanship election was unopposed as they were contested by only APC, but few councillorship positions were contested by other parties.

Announcing the elections results at a news conference in Damaturu, the Executive Chairman of Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission (YOSIEC), Alhaji Jauro Abdu, said having received and compiled the election results, 17 candidates of APC were declared the winners of last Saturday elections.

He said pursuant to the powers conferred on YOSIEC by section 197, Sub-section 1 paragraph (b) and part two of the third schedule to 1999

Constitution as amended and the provision of section nine of the state electoral commission and Local Government Election Law, 2003, the APC candidates have been declared winners by the commission.

He said in Bade, Bursari and Damaturu council areas, Aji Sale Suleman, Zanna Abacha and Bulama Modu won the elections with 41; 159;25,908 and 20,484 votes respectively.

“In Fika, Damaturu and Geidam, Adamu Usman Bazam and Mulima Idi Mato, pulled 56,051; 62,121 and 41, 585 votes to win the concluded council elections,” Abdu stated.

Other candidates who were declared winners, according to him, were Kyari Batarama, Babayo Hassan Gulani and Babangida Ibrahim Jaba from three councils of Gujba, Gulani and Jakusko with 33,606, 3,3659 and 49, 030 votes in that order.

He said other candidates who have been declared winner also, were Ubaliyo Musa Gambo (Karasuwa-32, 864 votes), Idrissa Alh.Bukar (Machina-24, 991 votes), Baba Langawa from Nangere with 40, 875 votes.

He said the election in Nguru, Potiskum and Tarmuwa council areas, were won by Ali Mai Dami, Mohammed Musa Potikum and Muhammed Gidado Abubakar with respective votes of 37, 746, 82, 006 and 20, 712 votes in that order.

“While the declared winners from the two council areas of Yunusari and Yusufari are Yerima Lawan Mahmud and Balama Budu, pulled total votes of 42, 302 and 26, 117,” Abdu said at the declaration of elections results in Damaturu.

An interesting scenario however played out during the press briefing by the independent observers as it ended in near fisticuffs with the parties disagreeing with the presentation.

The head of the coalition of the observers, Victor Kalu, had though admitted that the elections were contested by a party, he declared that it was “free, fair and keenly contested.”

This provoked many of the observers who had to raise their voices to express displeasure at the submission.

The press conference was brought to abrupt end when a woman, Chinyere Manukwem, stood up to state that the communique when not signed by all, the election could not be said to be keenly contested as it was never even contested by any other party other than the ruling APC.

She equally alleged that some of the observers might have been settled to come to the press with such falsehood.