No more than 1000 supporters of Alhaji Kamal Alty, one of the All Progressives Congress, APC, aspirants for the just concluded Katsina Assembly primary election from Funtua Constituency, on Thursday, October 11, 2018, Protested over alleged election rigging.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Munir Salihu, the leader of the protesters, said they were on the street to seek for the cancelation of the election or recount of the invalid votes recorded.
According to Salihu, the 30 invalid votes recorded during the primary election were clearly in favour of their candidate.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commissio, INEC, and APC leadership to ensure that the invalid votes were recounted.
He added that most of the invalid votes were clearly for their candidate and stressed the need for the APC leadership to do something urgently to ensure fairness and justice among its members.
“During the counting of the votes, our agents had protested and complained to the INEC officials that conducted the election but nothing was done.
That made us not to sign the result sheet because when you clearly look at the gap between Alty and the incumbent member, Alhaji Abubakar Muhammad, it was only 11 votes.
Out of the invalid votes there were more than 15 that were for Alty”, the protesters claimed.
He expressed concern over the number of the invalid votes, which he said had double the gap between their candidate and the declared winner.
The leader of the protesters said the aspirant had complained to the party leadership at the state and national levels.
Salihu added that if nothing was done on the issue, they would definitely seek for a legal redress if the need arises.
The election was participated by 10 aspirants, which the incumbent member, Muhammad, representing Funtua in the State Assembly was declared winner of the election by the INEC officials.
When contacted, the local government APC chairman in Funtua , Alhaji Muhammad Sani, said that he had received a copy of the complaint written by the aspirant.
Sani explained the same letter of complaint was also forwarded to the state and the national headquarters of the party by the aspirant.
According to Sani, “We are waiting for the State and the national office’s responses on the issue, whatever they decide will be known to all’’.
