The statement further read: “We are all aware that the two legal documents guiding INEC in the conduct of elections; the Constitution and the Electoral Act, have provisions for electoral exigencies as well as empower the electoral body to fully take responsibility for any of its actions or inaction without undue interference from any quarters whatsoever”.
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Besides, the All Progressives Congress, APC which was coasting home to victory before the election was declared inconclusive is to present a candidate to replace Prince Abubakar Audu, the party’s candidate who died in the midst of the election.
The commission said 49,953 votes were cancelled, which was higher than the margin between the leading candidate and the runner-up.
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress had 240,867 votes while that of the PDP got 199,514 votes.
Deputy Director of Publicity and Voters Education of the commission, Mr. Nick Dazang, stated this in an interview with Newsmen in Abuja on Monday.
But in a notice signed and issued by Augusta Ogakwu, INEC secretary, the commission said it had arrived at a decision following the notification from APC about the death of its candidate.
“Our party is of the opinion that the Returning Officer, Prof”.
He, however, declared the election inconclusive on the fact that no party could be declared the victor since the number of cancelled votes was more than the difference between the APC and the PDP.
The governor said Audu’s death, coming just as APC was getting ready to celebrate his lead at the polls, was sad.
“To allow the APC to fill the vacancy created by the death of its candidate”.
“And if you have a community reading of that section with Section 221 of the Constitution, which clearly indicates that the right to vote is the right of a political party and and the party in this case, the APC has participated in the conduct of the election”.
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The supplementary elections will be held on December 5.
