The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared former Kano state governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) winner of Kano Central senatorial seat.
The INEC returning officer, Professor Tijjani Darma, who declared the results Monday in Kano, said Shekarau polled 456,787 votes to defeat his closest rival, Alhaji Abdulkarim Zaura of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 168, 677 votes and Hajiya Laila Buhari of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who secured 55,237.
Shortly after the declaration, NNPP’S agent, Shehu Usman, accused INEC of refusing to replace Shekarau, who defected from the party to the PDP.
He lamented that despite a court order directing INEC to accept the name of a fresh candidate, Alhaji Rufai Hanga, the commission refused to comply.
However, INEC returning officer, Darma, urged them to take their complaints to INEC and the election tribunal.
The electoral umpire published the name of Shekarau as the NNPP candidate, adding that he had not informed the commission officially that he had left the NNPP and was no longer its senatorial candidate.
INEC said until that was done as required by the Electoral Act, it could not replace Shekarau’s name.
