By-election: Zamfara Gov’t Slams APC, Alleges Military Interference

The Zamfara State government has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of engaging in “shameful acts” during the last Saturday’s by-election, which was eventually declared inconclusive in Kaura-Namoda South Constituency of the State.

Idris Bala Suleiman, spokesperson to Governor Dauda Lawal, made the allegation while speaking on Channels Television’s LunchTime Politics on Wednesday.

“What the All Progressives Congress did in the by-election in Zamfara State was a very shameful one,” Suleiman said.

The by-elections, held across 16 federal and state constituencies in 12 States on August 16, was declared inconclusive in Zamfara State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Suleiman argued that APC’s claim of the results being a rejection of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was misleading.

“I think it is even more shameful for APC to even say that the election is a result of the rejection of the PDP as far as the numbers are concerned, because the people are a witness to what happened last Saturday in Zamfara State,” he said.

He further alleged that a serving senior military officer acted inappropriately at one of the polling units.

“We have seen a brigade commander, for God’s sake, serving as a polling unit agent, which was a very shameful act because it violates the rule of engagement of the military. They used the military and the police. Despite that, we gave them a very tough fight, and then it led to the inconclusive election,” Suleiman claimed.

“If they say it’s rejection, during the 2023 election, Kaura-Namoda South was a stronghold of the APC because they won that place. This signifies that APC is losing their stronghold, and without the intervention of the military, especially the Brigadier General, it would have been a walkover without the inconclusivity,” he said.

When asked for clarity, Suleiman maintained that though the Army officer was not officially listed by INEC as a polling agent, his conduct suggested otherwise.

“The Brigadier General was not captured by INEC as the polling unit agent, but his activities suggested he was acting as a polling unit agent for the APC because he got a chair and sat there all through the election at Sakaziki ward. He sat there with his military and prevented members of the PDP from reaching the polling unit. In fact, it was the APC people that were commanding him on what to do and what not to do,” he alleged.

Suleiman also raised concerns over police deployments for the exercise, claiming that security forces were being disproportionately deployed.

“We got information that the police headquarters were mobilising MOPOLs from Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, and Gombe for just five polling units in Zamfara State. These are people who refused to mobilise troops to Zamfara,” he said.

LEADERSHIP reports that INEC scheduled a supplementary election for Thursday, August 21, in the Kaura-Namoda South Constituency.

The Returning Officer, Professor Lawal Sa’adu of Federal University Gusau, explained that the exercise became necessary because the margin between the leading party and the runner-up was less than the number of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected in polling units where elections were cancelled.

Sa’adu disclosed that 5,446 voters were registered in the affected areas, while 3,265 PVCs were collected. He stressed that since the margin was less than the collected PVCs, the election could not be concluded.

Also speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Gusau on Tuesday, Zamfara State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Mahmuda Isah, assured parties and voters of a credible process.

“The commission has put adequate measures in place to ensure a smooth and hitch-free process,” Isah stated.