Social media became awash with video footages and pictorials showcasing various irregularities in the conduct of last Saturday’s Local Government elections in Kano state.
The election was reportedly marred by underage voting, voting outside polling units, harassments and many other malpractices.
Sequel to that, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, constituted an investigative panel to probe the recent cases.
INEC, who earlier exonerated itself from the allegation, had to make a U-turn by taking up responsibility for the alleged irregularities.
The election empire has constituted an investigative panel that will look into the matter.
The INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, on Friday, said the panel, which was constituted during the on-going election-preparation workshop in Lagos, will start work next week.
However, the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, while swearing in the newly-elected chairmen, had earlier said the election was well conducted, adding that it was greeted by large turnout of voters.
Mr Ganduje, described the election as another milestone towards the growth of the nascent democracy in the history of the state.
Meanwhile, reactions trailed from different quarters, with some calling for the cancellation of the election.
A political party, the National Rescue Movement, NRM, joined in the array of these calling on the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, KNSIEC, to cancel the results of Saturday’s election.
Deputy National Chairman of the party, Niyi Dada, who made the call in a statement in Abuja, said that the exercise was fraught with irregularities, including under-age voting.
He also said that threats to perceived opponents, which forced them to stay away from participating in the elections constituted a major irregularity during the exercise.
Dada described the polls as “setback and a disgrace to democracy in Nigeria’’ and advised that the Nigerian electoral process should not be allowed to derail its democracy.
“NRM believes that a faction of the All Progressives Congress-led government that participated in the election could not have garnered over 2.6 million votes to clinch all the election positions in the 44 local councils.
“It was obvious that the election was not free and fair.
“NRM hereby call on the President to as a matter of urgency, direct security agencies to investigate the circumstances that led to under-age voting in the election as well as prosecute whoever is culpable.
“Notice is hereby given to Kano State Independent Electoral Commission and security agencies to investigate the under-age voting and take necessary action or NRM will be compelled to take appropriate action within the law,’’ he said.
According to Dada, if this is not done, Nigerians might see a repeat of the 2019 elections.
He called on Nigerians to guard the sanctity of the electoral process.
He also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to crosscheck the voter register it gave KNSIEC to ascertain whether it was doctored to accommodate under-age voters or if it was used at all.
Dada said that NRM also wanted the electoral commission to cancel the Saturday council polls and conduct a fresh one that would have semblance of fairness.
He said that the NRM stood for fairness, justice and equal opportunities for all Nigerians “who seek elective positions within the ambit of the law and the Constitution.
