Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that a supplementary election will be held in five polling units of the Kaura Namoda South State Assembly constituency in Zamfara state on August 21.
This decision was made public by Dr. Mahmmud Isah, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, during a stakeholders’ meeting in Gusau. The supplementary election is necessary due to the cancellation of results from the five polling units in the Kyambarawa and Sakajiki registration areas following allegations of irregularities during the August 16 by-election.
The affected polling units include three in Kyambarawa ward – Shiyar Magaji (Kofar Hamza) 002, Tukasu (Sabuwar Kasuwa) 009, and Kofar Fafa (Shiyar Fada) – as well as two in Sakajiki ward: Alko (Shiyar Kudu) 002 and Shiyar Nufawa (Kofar MD Nuhu) 007.
The INEC had declared the by-election inconclusive on August 16, after canceling the results from the five polling units. According to Prof. Lawal Sa’adu, the INEC Returning Officer, the commission had registered 5,446 voters in the two areas, with 3,265 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected.
The results announced after the cancellation showed the All Progressives Congress (APC) leading with 7,001 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had polled 5,339 votes. However, the margin between the two parties was 1,662, which is less than the 3,265 PVCs collected in the affected polling units.
Sa’adu cited Sections 24 subsections 2 and 3, Section 47 subsection 3, and Section 51 subsection 2 of the Electoral Act 2022 as reasons for declaring the election inconclusive. The supplementary election aims to ensure that all registered voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and determine the winner of the constituency seat.
The decision to hold a supplementary election demonstrates INEC’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and upholding the principles of democracy in Nigeria.
