Bauchi Polls: INEC Halts Collation For Governorship, Continues With State Constituency

Bauchi Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ibrahim Abdullahi, addresses reporters at the INEC office in the state capital on March 19, 2019.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will no longer proceed with the collation exercise for the governorship election in Bauchi State as scheduled.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Ibrahim Abdullahi, disclosed this to reporters at the INEC office in Bauchi.

He explained that the electoral body took the decision in line with a court ruling which ordered it not to go ahead with the process.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is in receipt of a court order restraining it from proceeding with the collation and announcement of result in respect of Tafawa Balewa governorship constituency only,” Abdullahi said.

He, however, stated that INEC would go ahead with the collation exercise for the state assembly election in the state.

The REC added, ”The order which was granted by the court does not include the Tafawa Balewa State Constituency.

“Hence, we are going to make arrangement to continue with the state constituency collation and subsequently announce the result.”

The electoral body had declared the governorship election in Bauchi inconclusive after the margin between the two leading candidates was said to be less than the number of cancelled votes.

According to the Returning Officer, Kyari Mohammed, results collated showed that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bala Mohammed, polled 469,512 votes, while the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mohammed Abubakar, secured 465,453 votes.

INEC had later said it would resume the collation of results of Tafawa Balewa LGA after considering a report submitted by the REC.

Unsatisfied with the decision, Governor Abubakar and the APC filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, restraining INEC from proceeding with the collation of result for the governorship election.

In his bench ruling, Justice Inyang Ekwo granted the request pending the determination of all issues raised by the plaintiffs in their originating summons.