On the results, the APC candidate in Bauchi and SSG disagree.
Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (rtd), an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor of Bauchi State, claims that some of the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were fabricated by PDP members; as a consequence, he would not recognise them.
Bala Mohammed, the incumbent governor, won the race against Abubakar with 525,280 votes. Abubakar came in second with 432,272 votes.
In response to the announcement from INEC, Sadique stated: “We are aware, and our people are equally aware, that the election in Bauchi was marked by crude violence, thuggery, intimidation of opposition party agents, harassment of opponents, and throwing up of APC agents in many polling units, where commissioners and local council chairmen took the roles of electoral activities, particularly in Bauchi town.
“During the night, it was seen that the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), together with a few commissioners and local council chairmen, moved from one collation center to another. They enter the collation centers, drive away APC officials, get control of the papers, and then write anything they want on them. To put it another way, the list is regrettable,” he remarked.
The SSG, Ibrahim Kashim, refuted the accusations, claiming that the government secured free and fair elections by only giving authorized agents access to collation centers.
“He (Abubakar) said that we broke the election result papers and wrote what we wanted on them. I can understand his stupidity. There is just one collation sheet, therefore nothing can be torn off and written on another one. Let him request suitable instruction from his agents on how to carry out these tasks.
Before the elections, Kashim said that they had heard that certain individuals had been singled out, adding: “We wrote to the Commissioner of Police and the Directorate of State Services” (DSS). We asked the DSS and police to safeguard us. Four police officers and four DSS agents were assigned to me. I accompanied them everywhere, so let him go and ask the CP and DSS chief which collation centers we went into.
As the SSG and head of the security committee, I had every right to walk around and make sure that the polls were legitimate and done in a friendly atmosphere. I avoided any hallways. Four police officers and four DSS agents and I walked about. He should thus inquire with such organizations. They must have submitted their reports, I’m certain.
