Earlier reported that angry youths in Ganye surrounded Salihu’s SUV, accusing him of concealing Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and a ballot box in his vehicle.
The National Vice Chairman (Northeast) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mustapha Salihu, has strongly denied allegations that he stole election materials during Saturday’s State Constituency by-elections in Adamawa State.
It was earlier reported that angry youths in Ganye surrounded Salihu’s SUV, accusing him of concealing Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and a ballot box in his vehicle.
The viral video from the incident intensified suspicions that he attempted to manipulate the process.
Reacting to the accusations at a press conference in Yola, Salihu insisted he never stole election materials but instead intervened to safeguard them from what he described as a calculated attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to disrupt counting.
“What actually happened was that the Speaker of the State Assembly and the PDP Chairman mobilized thugs to snatch election materials because it was obvious they were losing,” Salihu explained.
“I immediately asked security operatives to disperse the crowd and ensure only party agents remained to monitor the sorting and counting of ballots.”
He further said, “The thugs became violent, and I quickly intervened by instructing a police officer to secure the materials. Afterwards, we called the AIG to send reinforcements. That’s exactly what happened – I never moved an inch with the materials as alleged. Why would I snatch election materials at a unit where I was clearly winning?”
Citing specific polling unit results, Salihu noted: “At Unit 06, Ganye 1 Ward, APC scored 86 votes while PDP got 36. At Unit 010, APC had 65 votes while PDP got 40.
“The PDP State Chairman, Barr. Shehu, and the Speaker mobilized to destroy ballot boxes after officials refused to compromise the results.
“On receiving reports, I rushed there with police officers, secured the materials, and handed them over to security reinforcements, exactly as seen in the viral video.”
He added, “This was at the ward of the PDP State Chairman, who vowed to resign from politics if he lost. They recruited commissioners, LGA chairmen, and the Speaker to hijack the process. But I stood my ground until the police took charge. What motive would I have to snatch ballot boxes when my party was winning?”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially declared Misa Musa Jauro of the APC the winner of the Ganye State Constituency House of Assembly by-election, held to fill the vacancy left by his late brother.
Jauro polled 15,923 votes, narrowly defeating the PDP candidate, Buba Muhammed Joda, who secured 15,794 votes, a slender margin of just 129 votes.
Observers described the election as highly competitive and peaceful, with massive voter turnout across all ten wards.