Jigawa LG PDP Requests INEC Remove CoR From Elected Assembly Member

The All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate for state legislature Ado Yakubu has been requested to have his certificate of return withdrawn by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jigawa State’s Gwaram Local Government Area.

In a petition signed by both Mr. Zakari Muhammad Inuwa, a candidate for the state assembly, and the PDP chairman for the Gwaram local government, INEC was encouraged to uphold its previous determination that the Gwaram state assembly constituency election was inconclusive.

The appeal, which was delivered to INEC National Chairman Mahmoud Yakubu, claimed that the returning officer deemed the election inconclusive due to the cancellation of 12 polling places in the region.

The PDP claimed that some thugs coerced the returning officer into declaring the APC candidate the winner, in violation of the 2023 election law, and under duress.

“The Jigawa REC proceeded to grant the APC nominee a certificate of return. The letter stated that this was regrettable and might harm democracy and democratic values.

In a press conference, Zakari promised that the PDP would keep pursuing the case until justice was done.

“The APC is taking away our authority through the back door, but we’re not going to stand by and do nothing. We have written to both the national chairman of INEC and the Jigawa state REC, and we expect them to move in the interests of justice and the rule of law,” he said.

The APC state assembly member-elect Ado, whose certificate of return is being challenged, has chosen not to remark on the situation and said he will wait for INEC and the court’s rulings.