The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has demanded that INEC declare its senatorial candidate for Niger East federal constituency, Alhaji Mohammed Inuwa Zakari, winner of the April senatorial election in the state or it would frustrate the senator-elect’s inauguration. The Niger State chairman of the CPC, Alhaji Umaru Shuaibu, who made the call yesterday in Minna at a press conference, maintained that the recent publication of the National Assembly Vol.12 No 263 of the Lawmaker and an earlier publication on the website named Zakari as the winner.
While calling on INEC to issue a certificate of return to their candidate, the CPC chairman vowed to frustrate efforts to inaugurate Senator Kuta at the forthcoming swearing in ceremony at the National Assembly in Abuja.
“Since the PDP or its candidate is not the one on the INEC list, he or the party cannot claim any right to the Niger East senatorial seat at the forthcoming inauguration of newly elected senators”, he said. He added that the party had to go to the tribunal to challenge the victory of incumbent Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta primarily to follow the provisions of the law but added that it had enough evidence to prove that they won.
It would be recalled that the election could not hold in Suleja due to the bomb blast that claimed several lives, leading to its postponement but was subsequently held one April 26.
The CPC chieftain maintained that the Suleja senatorial election result was declared under suspicious circumstances. He said none of the CPC returning officers was present when the result was announced, submitting that up till now the outcome of the senatorial poll in the area remained a mystery. Shuaibu said the recent development leaves the party with no doubt of possible complicity of INEC in the process, stating that the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Emmanuel Onucheyo, is yet to apologise for naming the PDP senatorial candidate who lost in Niger North senatorial election instead of the CPC member that won.
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