Sunday 19 February 2012

Fraud allegations trail Sokoto governorship election

JegaJega
Allegations of fraud yesterday trailed the governorship election in Sokoto State with the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) accusing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of manipulating the votes.

But voting was generally peaceful across the state. Members of the PDP were alleged to have harassed the ANPP polling agent at the Girkau Primary School Polling unit at Kebbe, the home base of the ANPP flagbearer, Alhaji Yusha’u Muhammad Ahmed.
There was no election at Milgoma ward in Bodinga local government area after a member of the State House of Assembly allegedly insisted on the accreditation of men before women. The people did not agree with his proposal and stalled voting there.
Milgoma is the home base of the state chairman of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).
Yusha’u after casting his vote said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had done well with the arrangement for the election.
He alleged malpractices by PDP thugs in parts of Kebbe and Kuchi districts with a view to distorting the result.
"Some INEC officials and security agents including police were involved in the attempt," he said adding: "our agents were able to resist similar attempts in some areas."
Democracy, he said, "is all about franchise and right to exercise same by vote and through the ballot without intimidation as choosing a leader."
Voters’ turnout was low in places like Bodinga, Shagari and Tambawal local government areas.
Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko of the PDP who was one of the five state governors sacked by the Supreme Court last month on the ground that their tenure expired last May voted at the Wambai polling unit at 12:35pm. He described the turnout especially of women as impressive and orderly.
He commended INEC for the prompt arrival of materials at polling units.

Acting Governor Lawal Muhammad Zayyana voted in his hometown of Gwadabawa and also described the exercise as peaceful and orderly.

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