The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced the results of the recently concluded presidential and National Assembly elections there on Monday. Katsina is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The director general of the Atiku/Lado campaign and a former secretary to the state government, Dr. Mustapha Inuwa, remarked in a press conference on Monday that the elections were utterly at odds with what the president and INEC had promised the country and the entire world.
Inuwa further alleged that massive vote buying continued to take place across the state, particularly in Daura, the hometown of President Buhari, despite the installation of a new cashless policy and BVAS machines.
He also cites widespread inducement, electoral fraud, intimidation of residents by law enforcement and government officials in various locales, the distribution of election materials meant to increase voter awareness late, and voter harassment as other issues.
As the president and the INEC Chairman gave everyone the assurance that the BVAS will operate at numerous forums, we believed that the election would be free, fair, and credible. We believed him, and we gave him all the help we could.
"In Katsina, the results were not posted until after midnight, and there were fewer ballots than normal at many polling places. Thugs were holding materials captive all around the state.
Moreover, N6.6 billion was approved for the purchase of rice, fertilizer, wrappers, and CFA currency notes to be utilized as voter-inducing materials. Ignore any additional garbage.
It is clear that the 482 votes that the Katsina State Government was able to acquire for Tinubu were made with the help of taxpayer money. Each of these votes cost Katsina's tax payers N22 million, N87,000, and 136 kobo.
This amount will cover 85% of the remaining gratuity that the government owes its retirees once the last person gets paid to retire in June 2019.
Content created and supplied by: Sportwriter1 (via Opera News )
COMMENTS