From Shuaibu Zubair Tatu, Birnin Kebbi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kebbi State, on Monday, declared the Collation Officer for Marafa Ward in Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Mr Yusuf Isa-Yahaya missing with election materials.
Addressing Journalists at Birnin Kebbi LG INEC office, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Alhaji Ahmed Bello-Mahmud, said although the commission would not halt the process, it had to continue with the election collation with or without the officer.
He said: “You are all aware that our appointed officer, Yusuf Isa Yahaya, a lecturer at the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi (FUBK), who was supposed to collate and announce the results is nowhere to be found.
“He was appointed, screened and deployed to be the Collation Officer in respect of the senatorial constituency at Marafa Registration Area (RA) and he is nowhere to be found.
“We just have to continue, we cannot allow things to stand the way they are; we must reach a descent conclusion.
“To that extent, we had a management meeting today ratified by another meeting today, followed by another management meeting today, ratified by the commission in Abuja, to declare Yusuf Isa Yahaya as personnal nongrata and therefore replaced him with a competent fair-minded officer.”
He assured that the newly-appointed officer would continue from where the missing officer stopped, assuring that the missing officer had no capacity to continue to function as Collation Officer.
“By powers vested on me, to appoint another competent and fair-minded officer to do the work which the missing officer would have done, we have appointed that officer and he will start the work immediately and hopefully complete it today.
“The missing officer ran away with all our documents but we are sourcing duplicate version of these documents to continue from where he stopped.
“We will collate all the duplicate copies and we will apply the law as it is, and we will conclude today,” he said.
Tension was high at the INEC office in Birnin Kebbi in view of the strong contest between the two political giants in the state, the incumbent governor of the state, Sen. Atiku Bagudu and his archwhile rival and ex-governor, Sen. Adamu Aliero, which led to security beef up at the commission.
Gov. Bagudu is contesting the Kebbi Central Senatorial zone seat on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), while his rival, Aliero is contesting on the platform of People’s Democratic party (PDP).
Results from eight Local Government Areas of zone had arrived for collation but the absence of one ward, Marafa ward, delayed the announcement of the winner which attracted supporters of Aliero to throng the INEC office.
Also speaking with Journalists, Aliero advised his supporters to remain calm, adding that the decision of the commission was in line with the laws of the land.
He lamented that his people had spent two days awaiting the announcement of the result to no avail, appealing that the commission should hasten efforts to do the needful and announce the results as soon as possible.
“Therefore, I urge all our supporters to be law abiding, mature and ensure that they maintain the relative peace being enjoyed for the good and progress of the state and the nation at large,” he said.
