The All Progressives Congress, APC has won all chairmanship and councillorship seats announced in the Katsina State Local government elections held yesterday, defeating eleven other parties that contested in the elections.
Announcing the results at the headquarters of the State Independent Electoral Commission in Katsina, its chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Bako said only the elections in Dutsinma, Daura, Funtua and Kankia were cancelled due to some challenges encountered during the elections.
He said a later date would be announced for a repeat of the elections in these areas as certificates of return would be presented to the winners in the elections in the thirty other local government areas.
Our team of correspondents who went round some polling units across the state during the elections report that the elections were generally peaceful except for the late arrival of election materials in some polling centers.
The state police command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah told Radio Nigeria that based on the command’s assessment, the election was peaceful and orderly.
Meanwhile the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have traded words over the conduct of the election.
While our correspondent is yet to get the reaction of the opposition parties following the announcement of the results, the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had earlier traded words with the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state over the conduct of the elections.
Briefing newsmen at his hometown of Dutsinma, the opposition party leader and former governor of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, described the election as unsatisfactory.
In its reaction, the ruling APC described PDP grumbles over the conduct of the election as an attempt to discredit the process in anticipation of a poor outing in the election.
Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Mustafa Inuwa said the delay in the arrival of election materials at some polling units was caused by the activities of thugs sponsored by the PDP.
Meanwhile, the state independent electoral commission will later in the day present certificates of return to the winners in the election and possibly announce a new dates for the repeat of elections in the four local government areas where the election was cancelled.
Isma’il Adamu
