Earlier reported that indignant youths in Ganye surrounded Salihu’s SUV, accusing him of concealing Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) gadgets and a poll field in his car.
The National Vice Chairman (Northeast) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mustapha Salihu, has strongly denied allegations that he stole election supplies throughout Saturday’s State Constituency by-elections in Adamawa State.
It was earlier reported that indignant youths in Ganye surrounded Salihu’s SUV, accusing him of concealing Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) gadgets and a poll field in his car.
The viral video from the incident intensified suspicions that he tried to control the method.
Reacting to the accusations at a press convention in Yola, Salihu insisted he by no means stole election supplies however as an alternative intervened to safeguard them from what he described as a calculated try by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to disrupt counting.
“What actually happened was that the Speaker of the State Assembly and the PDP Chairman mobilized thugs to snatch election materials because it was obvious they were losing,” Salihu defined.
“I immediately asked security operatives to disperse the crowd and ensure only party agents remained to monitor the sorting and counting of ballots.”
He additional stated, “The thugs became violent, and I quickly intervened by instructing a police officer to secure the materials. Afterwards, we called the AIG to send reinforcements. That’s exactly what happened – I never moved an inch with the materials as alleged. Why would I snatch election materials at a unit where I was clearly winning?”
Citing particular polling unit outcomes, Salihu famous: “At Unit 06, Ganye 1 Ward, APC scored 86 votes whereas PDP received 36. At Unit 010, APC had 65 votes whereas PDP received 40.
“The PDP State Chairman, Barr. Shehu, and the Speaker mobilized to destroy poll bins after officers refused to compromise the outcomes.
“On receiving reports, I rushed there with police officers, secured the materials, and handed them over to security reinforcements, exactly as seen in the viral video.”
He added, “This was at the ward of the PDP State Chairman, who vowed to resign from politics if he lost. They recruited commissioners, LGA chairmen, and the Speaker to hijack the process. But I stood my ground until the police took charge. What motive would I have to snatch ballot boxes when my party was winning?”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) formally declared Misa Musa Jauro of the APC the winner of the Ganye State Constituency House of Assembly by-election, held to fill the emptiness left by his late brother.
Jauro polled 15,923 votes, narrowly defeating the PDP candidate, Buba Muhammed Joda, who secured 15,794 votes, a slender margin of simply 129 votes.
Observers described the election as extremely aggressive and peaceable, with huge voter turnout throughout all ten wards.
