Hundreds of Women on Tuesday embarked on peaceful demonstration demanding the release of the March 9 governorship election result in Sokoto state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The group led by three serving Commissioners in the state, Prof. A’isha Madawaki, Dr Kulu Abubakar and Hajiya Kulu Sifawa said INEC declaration of the election in the state as inconclusive was injustice and unacceptable.
They called on the electoral body to declared Governor Aminu Tambuwal as the winner of the election without further delay.
Sifawa, who is the Commissioner for Women Affairs, said Tambuwal was duly elected by majority of the votes and run a women-friendly government more than any government in the history of the state.
She said they embarked on the peaceful protest to tell the world the position of women in the state and enjoined INEC to declared people’s choice for peaceful coexistence in the state.
The state Commissioner for Science and Technology, Dr Kulu Abubakar, said women from the 23 local government areas of the state decided to embark on the protest against injustice.
“All we need is justice, which is declaration of Tambuwal as the Governor-elect in the interest of peace in the state,” Abubakar said.
Speaking at the demonstration rally, State PDP Women leader, Hajiya Rabi Iyawa, criticized INEC treatment of PDP candidates in the concluded governorship election.
Iyawa alleged that the INEC pronouncement of the election as inconclusive portrayed insincerity of the present government and its agencies and clear abuse of constitutional provisions.
Among the demonstrators were wife of former Sokoto State Governor and Presidential Candidate, Hajiya Jamila Bafarawa, Permanent Commissioner in Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Hajiya Fatima Illo among others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that INEC on Sunday had declared the March 9 governorship election in Sokoto state inconclusive.
The State Returning Officer said the decision was because the 75, 403 cancelled votes in 136 polling units was higher than the 3, 413 margin difference between Tambuwal’s score and that of the APC candidate.
Prof. Fatima Muktar, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Dutse (FUD), Jigawa, had declared that Tambuwal polled 489, 558 votes, while his closest rival, Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu of the APC scored 486, 145 votes.
NAN reports that policemen barricaded the road going to INEC to prevent the demonstrators from gaining entrance into the INEC office.
However, none of the INEC officials responded to the protesters.
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