LG polls: El-Rufai loses polling unit to PDP as hoodlums snatch 41 EVMs in Kaduna

By Oluwadamilare Emmanuel On Sep 4, 2021

Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai has lost the Saturday’s chairmanship and councillorship elections in his polling unit to the main opposition, People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

El-Rufai voted at his Polling Unit 001 Ungwar Sarki, Kaduna North local government area where he said his target was not to win all the polls but to improve the voting process using the Electronic Voting Machine.

According to the result announced by Muhammad Sani, Presiding Officer of the Unit, El-Rufai’s All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 62 votes in the chairmanship election while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 86 votes out of the 159 votes cast.

In the councillorship election, APC polled 53 votes while PDP polled 100 votes out of 162 total votes cast.

While voting earlier, El Rufai had said: “We are not going to behave like other parties or other state government of the ruling party. We will allow the people of Kaduna State to elect who they want.

“We do not have to win everywhere, though we have worked for the people of Kaduna State, they have seen our foot print, the govt and the local government everywhere, they have seen and we are confident that all reasonable minded people will vote for our party, our candidate because they know we are committed to the welfare of the people”.

“We don’t believe in cheating, we don’t believe in rigging election but also we don’t believe that other people should cheat us. And that is why we encouraged SIECOM to come up with a very improved system and am impressed with the whole thing.

“Technology is key to minimising cheating in election, unless we have credible election we can never have good leaders, accountable leaders and that is why we are committed, even if it means we are going to lose in some areas, this is democracy, it is a gradual process.”

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The overall result of the Kaduna North Local Government was however being awaited as at the time of filing this report.

Hoodlums snatch 41 EVMs

No fewer than 41 Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were snatched by hoodlums during the Council polls in Kaduna state, according to Mrs Saratu Audu-Dikko, Chairman of Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM).

Audu-Dikko told newsmen on Saturday that the machines were snatched in Giwa and Igabi Local Government Areas.

According to her, this figure excludes EVMs destroyed by same people during the elections.

“Thirty EVMs were carted away at Kwarau in Igabi Local Government, with two destroyed, while nine others at Panhauya in Giwa Local Government, were equally vandalised.

“The hoodlums also carted away election materials and assaulted the driver and staff of the Commission conveying the materials,” she explained.

The Chairman said that some other staff of the Commission, including ad-hoc staff, were also assaulted in those places.