By Nahum Sule (Taraba State Correspondent, in Jalingo)
The People's Democratic Party (PDP), has raised alarm over alleged plot to tempered with the Taraba State Gubernatorial election results.
The State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Andeta'rang Iramae, lamented on Monday evening over what he described as the undue delay in declaring the party's candidate, Lt. Col. Agbu Kefas (retd) as winner of the governorship election in Taraba state by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking exclusively with NIGERIAN NEWSLEADER Newspaper Correspondent in Jalingo, Andeta'rang and other PDP supporters who besieged the party's office on Monday, are agitating that INEC State Collation/Returning Officer and Resident Electoral Commission (REC) have no good reason to delay the announcement of Col. Agbu Kefas as the winner of the governorship election, having won with landslide votes totalling 255, 317.
According to Andeta'rang, any attempt to temper with the result will be resisted. His words: "tempering with this election results at this stage is dangerous. The outcomes have been formally collated and received at the INEC Headquarters here in Taraba state. We are here to defend our votes, so INEC should not delay to declare the result because the PDP candidate, Col. Agbu Kefas, won the election".
Also, the PDP supporters added that the INEC State Returning Officer should announce the result as collated and any party not satisfied with it should go to the Election Petition Tribunal and challenge the result as the INEC National Chairman, Yakubu Mahmood, had said during the collation of the results of the last Presidential Election on February 25.
The PDP supporters accused the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Taraba State, Alhji Umar Muktar Gajiram and the INEC State Collation/Returning Officer Prof. Muhammed Ahmad Abdullaziz, of taking sides with Prof. Sani Yahaha of the Rabiu Kwankwaso led New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) of interference in the final announcement of the Taraba State governorship result allegedly won by Col. Agbu Kefas of the PDP.
They PDP stalwarts warned that any attempt to disrupt the announcement of the result may lead to instability and anarchy in the whole Taraba State
Another PDP supporter, Hon. Eric UJ Yohana, insisted that Col. Agbu Kefas won the election in Taraba with a wide margin, allegedly defeating the NNPP gubernatorial candidate with 53, 233, and leaving the All Progressive Congress (APC) trailing behind with a margin of 111, 851
He said, “PDP lost election to NNPP and APC in some parts of the local governments in the state and we did not protest. Even in places like Ibi, Ussa, Gassol, we did not raise eyebrows, and we are not bothered because, for sure, we won the governorship election, and any attempt to rig it will be suicidal.
“Why is INEC delaying over announcing our victory? We are not going anywhere. We will stay here till PDP is declared winner. As their name implies, we expect INEC to have their Independent mind and be neutral in the exercise. But the reverse is the case in Taraba State", he fumed. NNL.
