The Peoples Democratic Party Jigawa State chapter has rejected the results of the Saturday-concluded Babura/Garki federal constituency by-election.
The rejection followed INEC’s declaration of APC’s Rabi’u Mukhtar as the winner of the bye-election on Sunday.
The Babura/Garki federal constituency bye-election was contested between the ruling APC candidate, Rabi’u Garki, and the strong opposition PDP candidate, Isa Auwalu.
The party’s position was made public in a statement on Sunday, signed and made available to journalists by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Umar Kyari.
According to the statement, the PDP’s rejection followed a careful examination of the entire election process, including the preparations, conduct, and post-election activities.
It explained that the party was dissatisfied with how the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the APC candidate as the winner.
The Jigawa PDP Publicity Secretary accused the APC of leveraging state power unfairly during the election, noting that “APC used state power and indulged heavily in vote buying, intimidation of voters as well as their harassment during the exercise.”
However, the party (PDP) called on its supporters and democracy lovers across Jigawa to remain calm despite the rejection.
“We urge all our supporters to stay peaceful as we take all necessary actions to reclaim our stolen mandate,” the statement added.
The party insisted that their mandate, freely given by voters last Saturday, was undermined by improper conduct during the election.
“The outcome of the by-election cannot be accepted by our party in good conscience,” Kyari emphasised, citing what they described as electoral malpractices.
The party further promised to explore all available legal and political avenues to challenge the election results, vowing to protect the will of the people in Babura/Garki federal constituency in the state.
The PDP’s statement also highlighted concerns over voter intimidation and vote buying allegedly orchestrated by APC supporters and operatives during the polls.
“Such acts erode democratic principles and subvert the choice of the electorate,” Kyari said, urging security agencies to investigate these claims thoroughly.
PDP appealed to all election observers and stakeholders to support their quest for justice and reaffirm the democratic process in Jigawa State.
