The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Garba Ahiya has won last Saturday’s Takum 1 State Constituency by-election into Taraba House of Assembly.
Newsmen report that the election was to fill the vacant seat of the late Hosea Ibi, member of the Assembly, who was kidnapped on December 31, 2017 and murdered by his abductors in January 2018.
Dr Ayuba Kwada, the returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Saturday night in Takum.
Kwada said Ajiya of PDP won five of the six constituency’s ward with a total vote of 10,725 to emerge winner, while candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Mr Atem Ansho polled a total vote of 3,268 with one ward.
He disclosed that nine political parties participated, while results from nine polling units in Chanchanji ward were cancelled due to irregularities.
According to him, “The total number of vote cast was 14,717; total number of valid votes was 14,337 while 380 votes were rejected.”
Reacting to the election result, Gov Darius Ishaku of Taraba, described the process as a litmus test for the 2019 general elections in the state.
He noted that the victory margin could have been wider if all those that turned out to exercise their franchise had their Permanent Voters Cards, (PVCs).
Ishaku, who commended the peaceful conduct of the election, restated the need for state police to permanently tackle insecurity.
“The country will be more efficient with pronounced secuty if it adopts state policing just like the United States of America where our democracy took it roots.” The candidate of the APC has, however, rejected the outcome of the by-election.
He alleged that collation were still ongoing in some wards when hired thugs forced electoral officers to leave some polling units to other destinations and changed the results.
Ansho, however, said he was in talks with his lawyers for advice on the next course of action.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari’s renewed declaration to jail treasury looters, urging him to show exemplary leadership by by starting with immediate investigation and prosecution of the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, sacked Director General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Lawal Daura and a host of others persons indicted for corruption.
The party also challenged President Buhari to allow an investigation into the alleged stealing of billions of naira by his allies and party chieftains, including the sacked former Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, his former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal and the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Yusuf Usman.
In a statement by the party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP tasked the Commander-in-Chief to immediately swing into action by picking the former Edo State governor.
“President Buhari should immediately allow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to commence Oshiomhole’s investigation, which has been stalled despite his indictment for allegedly stealing billions of naira belonging to Edo state.
“The PDP challenges President Buhari to allow an investigation into the alleged frittering of over N11 trillion in the petroleum sector, under his direct supervision as minister, including the alleged N9 trillion illegal oil contract as detailed in the leaked presidency memo, the alleged N1.4 trillion corrupt subsidy regime and alleged diversion of N1.1 trillion worth crude oil using 18 illegal companies allegedly linked to Presidency cabal and APC chieftains.
“The President should also allow the investigation of his ministers, who as former governors, were indicted of stealing billions of naira belonging to their states, particularly, a former governor, who was indicted by his state for allegedly diverting over N40 billion to finance APC’s 2015 Presidential campaign.
“Mr. President must also investigate how billions of naira allegedly moved from parastatals under his Petroleum ministry to finance the failed attempt to change the leadership of the National Assembly as well as the certificate scandals among his ministers and special advisers and jail all those involved.
“These are the people Nigerians have been expecting President Buhari to investigate, prosecute and if found wanting, sent to jail. Unfortunately, Mr. President has been pursuing perceived political enemies, and innocent opposition members while dining and wining with corrupt persons, a development that has completely called to question the integrity of his anti-corruption fight,” the statement read in part.