PDP’s supporters in Kiayako in Birninkudu local government area of Jigawa state held hostage 39 electoral officials including the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s agents immediately after Saturday council election held in the state.
According to eyewitnesses account, this happened shortly after closing hours of the election when the votes were about to be counted, the PDP supporters insisted that the votes had to be counted and the winner announced there and then.
Addressing newsmen yesterday at the Kiayako electoral ward which was the collation centre of the area, the state PDP chairman, Dr Babandi Ibrahim Gumel explained that the returning officer Jafar Umar who was supposed to announce the results ran away.
“And because the returning officer ran away, our supporters sensed that their mandates would be shortchanged and they stood their ground to see that it did not happen”, he stressed.
The chairman explained that as a result of this, the PDP’s supporters locked up all the electoral officials plus the agents of both the PDP and the APC for close to 24 hours.
He said they protested for close to 24 hours, while insisting that the results must be announced there and not in the local government headquarters.
However, after the intervention of the state governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who directed that the results be announced there and the will of the majority be allowed to prevail, it was released and the PDP councillor won.
Another returning officer, Balarabe Umar, the local government electoral officer announced that “Inusa Abdull of the PDP won with 3,951 votes to defeat his opponent of the APC who got 680 votes”.
