There have been mixed reactions from political parties in Zamfara State over the forthcoming supplementary by-election scheduled for Thursday, 21st August 2025, in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area.
At a stakeholders’ meeting held in Gusau, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in the state, Dr. Mahmud Isah, said the Commission had completed all necessary arrangements for the exercise in Kambarawa and Sakajiki polling units.
Dr. Mahmud explained that both personnel and modern technology had been mobilized, with all BVAS machines fully charged and ready for deployment.
He assured the people of Zamfara State that, INEC would conduct a free, fair, and credible election and dismissed the rumors that he had been compromised.
“So on the rumors being circulated on he collected money to manipulate the election untrue”
“It is very unfortunate, It’s a wicked liar against me and I leave people to Allah,
I have no that record in my history”
In his remarks, the Zamfara State Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Nasiru Ibrahim, faulted the decision of INEC to conduct the supplementary election in only five polling units instead of eleven.
Nasiru Ibrahim stressed the need for INEC to cancelled election of more six polling units due to over-voting.
He argued that the six excluded polling units represented over four thousand votes, insisting that, the Commission should reschedule elections in all eleven units for fairness.
“So, we now complain that unless these six Polling units are being considered to be taken for the supplementary election, I’m not saying that we are not going to participate, we are fully ready and prepared to participate in the supplementary election”
“But, we have now seen a signal of compromise, injustice, cheating, by reducing the number of Polling units, that number of 6 PUs amounts to about 4,862 votes and that five units that they said the election is going to be conducted has only 3,500 people voting”
“In the 11 polling units, the total votes of these 11 PUs is 7,689”
On its part, the All Progressives Congress, APC in Zamfara State, through its Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris Gusau, declared readiness to participate in the exercise on Thursday, saying the party remained confident of victory.
He maintained that, the declaration of the election as inconclusive followed due process under the Electoral Act.
Yusuf Gusau urged political parties to seek redress through the tribunal if dissatisfied.
Also, the Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Zamfara State, Kabiru Garba, pledged full participation but expressed concern that, the meeting was dominated by a single political party with various allegations.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Commissioner of Police represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Usman Dunguza, assured stakeholders that adequate security would be provided before, during, and after the supplementary election in collaboration with other sister agencies.
The meeting had brought together representative of various political parties that would participate during the election and other stakeholders.
COV/AMINU DALHATU.
