Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Kaura Namoda South State Constituency by-election in Zamfara State inconclusive due to irregularities in select polling units.
The INEC Returning Officer from Federal University Gusau, Prof. Lawal Sa’adu, announced that results from certain polling units in Sakajiki and Kambarawa wards were nullified, prompting the inconclusive ruling.
“The affected polling units had 5,446 registered voters, with 3,265 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected,” Sa’adu stated.
He reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC) garnered 7,001 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 5,339 votes, resulting in a vote margin of 1,662.
However, this margin was smaller than the total PVCs collected in the cancelled polling units, rendering a final declaration impossible.
Sa’adu cited Sections 24(2) and (3), Section 47(3), and Section 51(2) of the Electoral Act 2022, which stipulate that an election cannot be concluded if the vote difference between leading candidates is less than the number of collected PVCs in areas with cancelled results.
Sa’adu detailed the affected areas: Sakajiki Ward, with two polling units, 1,357 registered voters, and 1,298 PVCs collected, and Kambarawa Ward, with three polling units, 4,088 registered voters, and 1,964 PVCs collected. “No winner can be declared until a supplementary election is held in these five polling units,” he explained.
INEC will soon announce a date for the rerun election in the affected polling units across Sakajiki and Kambarawa wards.
