Kaduna: PDP Rejects Outcome Of Local Govt Polls, Blames Electoral Body, Govt Of Complicity

By Frederick Peters, KADUNA

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA -The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has rejected outrightly the Local Government election held in the 19 Local Government Area of Kaduna State, blaming Governor Nasir El- rufai and the electoral body (KADSIECOM) of complicity in the entire process.

The Party noted with dismay what it considered a shame that the Electronic Voting Machine was programmed to rig other parties out by scoring votes for the APC at the commencement of the verification of the result sheets prior to the voting proper.

PDP while presenting copies of alleged malpractice and infraction in areas captured rejected the election because it has been made to favour the APC. thereby denying the People of the state the right of electing leaders of their choice thus making their votes not to count.

Addressing a Press Conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Kaduna Secretariat, the PDP Publicity Secretary, Alberah Catoh, further alleged that the Electronic Voting Machines, EVM, which were supposed to print out figures 0000 at the first print out, rather printed votes, all allocated to the All Progressives Congress, APC, while the opposition are left to wonder. This he said occurred even when voting has not even commenced.

Mr Catoh also said that in certain cases in many polling stations, the EVN were not functioning properly or were programmed to accept and print-out results only to favor APC.

He said: ” in most parts of the polling units in the State where elections were held, the results have been tampered with and allocated to APC. And the electoral body is allocating huge figures, more than the other Political Parties”.

“As you can see we have some of the printout results of the machines and from all indication, it has been arranged for APC to have a field day”, he added.

According to the PDP scribe rigging of the election would have been not been possible if the State Independent Electoral Commission, SIECOM had not succumbed to the pressure by the State Governor, Nasir Rufai.

Speaking further, Dr.Abdulraman Usman, a PDP Stakeholder, said that at Limanci ward in Zaria, out of the 30 EVMs deployed only two machines are working.

He further said that at Igabi Local Government Area, 7 persons were allegedly attacked while voting materials were carted away in full glare of the security agents .

Mr.Abdurahman went on to say that the state Government under El Rufai had perfected the act of rigging under the guise of sending the EVM to India with the aim of making sure that APC wins the poll.

Therefore, the PDP maintained that it will not accept the outcome of the election.

Recall that earlier on Friday, elections were postponed in four local government areas out of the 23 Council Areas by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM) to September 25 from the earlier September 4th date, citing Security reasons, and the affected LGs are Birnin Gwari, Chikun, Kajuru and Zangon Kataf.

In a related development, the Chairman, KADSIECOM Commissioner, Dr Saratu Binta Dikko Audu, however, assured the electorates/ citizens in a press briefing on Friday in Kaduna that ” on its part is committed to conducting an election that is free, fair, credible and non- violent” she added