Chuks Okocha in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend said its victory in last Saturday’s Kaduna State bye-election, “despite the bragging, intimidation and rigging machinations of the state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration,” is a further signal that the people of the state have since rejected the governor and his party (APC).
The main opposition party won the by-election for Sabo Gari constituency in the state House of Assembly.
Declaring the result of the election in Zaria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer, Mohammed-Nuruddin Musa, said the candidate of the PDP, Usman Baba, secured 9,113 votes to emerged winner.
The returning officer added that Musa Musa of the APC came second, having polled 7,404 votes.
The INEC official said Musa Halilu of PRP secured 305 votes, while Anas Abdullahi of the ADC, and Chindo Ibrahim of the ADP scored 62 and 61 votes respectively.
The Sabon Gari constituency seat, which was occupied by Aminu Shagali (APC), a former speaker of the Assembly, was declared vacant on April 27, 2021, following his failure to participate in legislative activities for more than 360 days
In its reaction, the PDP said its victory in the state, particularly in the political melting point like Sabon Gari constituency, is a foretaste of the crushing defeat that awaits the APC in Kaduna and other states of the federation in the 2023 general election.
The party said in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, that the resounding victory in the state election is a reaffirmation that Kaduna State is home to PDP, in spite of the APC administration, “which is now being shown the way out.”
According to the PDP, “The outcome of the last Saturday’s bye-election also reinforces the popularity of the PDP as well as its candidate, Alhaji Usman Baba, while serving as an unmistaken expression of the people’s rejection of the high-handedness, oppression, executive recklessness and arrogance, divisiveness, vindictiveness, economic repression, infrastructural decay and general misrule that have characterised governance in the state under the APC.
“Since it is clear that the APC administration in the state has nothing to offer the people other than imposing a siege mentality and arrogant power intoxication, our party counsels the APC to read the writing on the wall on the fate that awaits it in 2023.”
The PDP congratulated the member-elect, Baba, as well as the people of the state, and urged him to hit the ground running in line with the commitment of the PDP to provide the dividends of democracy, “which have eluded the people of the state in the last six years of APC’s misrule.”
