Nasarawa youth disrupt re-run local government elections

The youths say winners were already declared in the first elections.

Some youth in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, on Monday, prevented police and electoral officers from distributing materials for rerun local government elections in three wards – Gudi, Bohar and Andaha.

The youth barricaded the busy Akwanga-Jos road close to the police station, made bonfires and chanted solidarity songs in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the March 22 local government elections, Emmanuel Bakyu.

Mr. Bakyu was believed to have won the election before it was nullified.
The youth were later dispersed by gunshots and teargas from the security operatives but re-converged at a different spot along Jos Road.

Most of the youth, who spoke in anger, said that, as enshrined in the Nasarawa local government election electoral act, the NASIEC chairman, Abdullahi Modibbo, had no constitutional powers to nullify elections already declared by the respective returning officers at the local government and ward headquarters.

A youth, Tsinste Bawa, said that the NASIEC chairman has caused confusion and that his stance was a betrayal of trust.
Another youth, Ibrahim Kale, called for the arrest of the NASIEC officials for trying to cause bloodshed as a result of their negligence.

The youth have vowed to stop the rerun elections from going on except a court makes a pronouncement nullifying the previous results.

The PDP chairman of Akwanga, Idris Rumbu, told journalists that the party will only accept the already declared results of the March 22 local government elections.

He said that the election was peaceful, keenly contested and Mr. Bakyu emerged as winner.
Also in Obi local government area, where a rerun was to be conducted, the PDP Elders Forum in the local government declared that the party would not take part in the re-run election. The Forum called on PDP supporters in the area to stay away from the polls.

In a statement signed by Mark Ogbole and William Jatau, Chairman and Secretary respectively, the forum said it was surprised to learn that the NASIEC was conducting the re-run election for the chairmanship position in Obi. It said that, already, the returning officer had declared the PDP candidate, Gimba Chamma, as winner.

The elders maintained that with the resolution of the state House of Assembly calling for the sack of the officials of NASIEC, the commission ceased to exist and, therefore, had lost the power to propose and conduct any election in the state.