Bauchi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Ibrahim Abdullahi, has said the delay in the commencement of collation for the supplementary governorship election in the state was due to the absence of the Returning Officer, Prof. Muhammed Kyari.
The REC, who gave the explanation in the early hours of Sunday, said Kyari, left Yola, the Adamawa State capital, for Bauchi late Saturday night even though he was in full knowledge of the fact that supplementary elections for the governorship election, which he declared inconclusive, was to hold on Saturday.
He said: “Rather than me waiting upstairs in my office for the arrival of the Returning Officer who is on his way from Yola, I felt it is important to come and explain to you on why the Collation has not commenced.
“Officially, I am here to inform you that we are waiting for the Returning Officer.
“We have since received all the results from the 15 Local government areas but we were made to understand that the Returning Officer took off a bit late this evening.”
Before Abdullahi’s explanations, rumours have been rife across the state and on social media that the INEC, in connivance with the state government, may be plotting to alter the results hence the delay in commencing the collation.
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Abdullahi therefore denied any plans to alter results.
“We have been seeing reports going on in the social media that INEC is plotting to change results,” he said.
“The INEC is not an interested party in the outcome of the election. What is paramount for INEC is the processes and the procedure and not the outcome.
“These days, the way INEC has improved its operation, there is no way anybody can change any result; because right from the polling units the results are pasted, so it is going to be practically impossible for this kind of change people are circulating to happen.
“We want to assure that INEC is just and fair to all. So we have to be patient and continue to wait until the arrival of the Returning Officer.”
