INEC picks August 21 for Zamfara supplementary by-election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will hold a supplementary election in Kaura Namoda south constituency of Zamfara on August 21.

Mahmood Isah, resident electoral commissioner (REC) in the state, announced this during a stakeholders’ meeting in Gusau on Tuesday.

Isah said the exercise would take place in five polling units across Kyambarawa and Sakajiki wards.

The REC said the August 16 by-election in the constituency was declared inconclusive after results from the affected areas were cancelled over alleged irregularities.

According to him, three polling units are involved in Kyambarawa ward.

The affected units are Shiyar Magaji (Kofar Hamza) 002, Tukasu (Sabuwar Kasuwa) 009 and Kofar Fafa (Shiyar Fada).

He added that two other polling units in Sakajiki ward will also take part in the rerun.

“These are Alko (Shiyar Kudu) 002 and Shiyar Nufawa (Kofar MD Nuhu) 007,” he said.

Lawal Sa’adu, the returning officer, who announced the cancellation of results on August 17, said the affected units had 5,446 registered voters, with 3,265 permanent voter cards (PVCs) collected.

Sa’adu said the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 7,001 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 5,339 votes, leaving a margin of 1,662 votes.

The returning officer cited sections 24(2 & 3), 47(3) and 51(2) of the Electoral Act 2022 as the legal justification for the inconclusive declaration.

He added that under the Electoral Act 2022 and the manual for election officials, a lead smaller than the number of collected PVCs in cancelled units requires a supplementary election.