Supporters of the All Progressives Congress on Saturday protested the Kaduna State Electoral Commission’s declaration of the just-concluded council election as inconclusive in the Jema’a Local Government Area of the state.
The protesters including women, nursing mothers as well as youths, who stormed the SIECOM office along the Sokoto Road in the metropolis, gave the the electoral body 24 hours to reversed its decision and declared the APC candidate, Yunana Barde winner of the poll.
The Chairman of the SIECOM, Saratu Dikko-Audu, had on Friday, declared four local government areas in the state where the council poll took place on Saturday 4th, September, 2021, inconclusive.
The local governments are Jaba, Kauru Jema’a, Kachia, Soba LGAs.
The SIECOM boss had said the results of the affected LGs were inconclusive because elections could not hold in some wards.
However, the protesters demanded the immediate reversal of the SIECOM’s decision, saying election was held at Jema’a LG and a winner was dully declared by the Returning Officer as enshrined in the Constitution.
The protesters carried placard with such inscriptions such as “we reject injustice in Jema’a,” “Yunana Barde won in Jema’a”, ” Jema’a LG election, free and fair,” “Justice for Jema’a”, “all election were declared in Jema’a” “there was peaceful election,” “give us our mandate won by Mr. Yunana Barde” among others.
They also chanted solidarity songs, “we don’t want,” “give us our mandate” as well as “our candidate, Barde won.”
A leader of the protesters and former Chairman of Jema’a LGA, Humble Katuka, warned the Commission against robbing the party of victory.
He said, “We are here at the headquarters of the SIECOM over the recent pronouncement of the commission chairman which got to us as a rude shock and so, today, representatives of the people of Jema’a from the grassroots gathered here so as to expressed this great shock and disappointment.”
Another party leader, Sanusi Maikudi, at a press conference shortly after the protest, gave the commission 24 hours to reverse its decision, saying that the people were prepared to defend their mandate freely given to them at the poll.
Maikudi said, “Accordingly, we hereby reject the illegal, bankrupt, and discredited attempt by SIECOM to declare the Jema’a Local Government Election as inconclusive.
“We stand resolutely by our declared victory and will defend our hard earned victory to its logical conclusion.
“While rejecting the illegality of the SIECOM illegal revisionism, the Electoral body should know that neither Kaduna State nor the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a jungle where might is right, we are a nation of Law and order. The observance Rule of Law is not negotiable.
“The Nigeria Electoral Law is very clear that once Results are announced only a court of competent Jurisdiction can reverse it.
“We hereby give SIECOM 24 hours from 8.00 AM of Monday 13th September 2021 to Tuesday 14th September 2021 to withdrew their illegal, unjustifiable and baseless claims that the Saturday September 4th 2021 Jema’a Local Government Election was inconclusive.”
