By Ummi Ismaeel,
Minna
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Niger State has changed its earlier stand on Agaie, the only seat won by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 9th Governorship and State House of Assembly election.
Results released by the INEC’s Returning Officer in the Local Government showed that the PDP candidate, Yahaya Abdullahi, scored 18, 026 votes ahead of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar, who scored 17, 920.
But the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Sam Egwu, had told journalists that there would be no rerun or supplementary election in Agaie local government area after it was being speculated that the commission had declared the results as inconclusive.
The commission at a point also claimed that it did not announce any candidate, either of the ruling APC or the opposition PDP as winner for the Agaie State House of Assembly seat which the later is laying claims to before the latest twist to the quagmire.
Egwu had then argued that INEC cannot declare Governorship and State Assembly results twice and for Agaie in particular, “Anyone who has problems with the declaration can go to court for settlement. But, we are not going to conduct a rerun election”.
But after presenting Certificate of Return to re-elected Governor Bello and winners of 25 House of Assembly seats at the Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference hall on Wednesday, Egwu rescinded his earlier position on the Agaie declaration.
Egwu said that the winner of the Agaie State House of Assembly seat was declared ‘under duress’ and therefore cannot stand hence aggrieved parties to INEC’s latest position on the 9th March election should go to court.
According to Egwu, “Result for the Agaie State House of Assembly was declared under duress. The candidate purported to have won the election has issues with his party, so I think they have internal crisis. They should go to court and resolve the matter”.
Meanwhile, only 13 out of the 27 out-going Niger State House of Assembly members were able to return in the March 9th Governorship and House of Assembly election, including the only female member, Binta Mamman.
Twenty-five House of Assembly members received their Certificates of Return from the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Egwu.
While the member representing Lavun Local Government Area was absent during the ceremony, who to represent Agaie Local Government Council in the coming dispensation will be determined by the Courts.
He argued that, seeking judicial redress is a part and parcel of the electoral process in Nigeria and it has always been in existence with the culture of democracy to explore it rather than resorting to self-help, adding that the Agaie imbroglio will not be an exception.