The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled a supplementary election in the Kaura-Namoda South Constituency of Zamfara State, following the declaration of the recent by-election as inconclusive.
INEC confirmed that the supplementary election will hold on Thursday, August 21, and assured all stakeholders that adequate arrangements have been made for a smooth process.
The announcement was made by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mahmuda Isah, during an ongoing stakeholders’ meeting in Gusau ahead of the exercise.
“The supplementary election is designed to ensure that every registered voter has the opportunity to cast their vote and that the process remains credible,” Isah said.
“We urge all political parties, voters, and security agencies to cooperate fully,” he added.
Earlier, the Returning Officer, Lawal Sa’adu of the Federal University Gusau, who was appointed to oversee the by-election in the area, declared the exercise inconclusive.
Sa’adu explained that the margin between the leading candidate and the runner-up was smaller than the number of votes in polling units where elections were cancelled, making it impossible to declare a winner.
APC secured 7,001 votes while PDP got 5,339 votes, leaving a margin of 1,662 votes, less than the 3,265 PVCs collected in polling units where elections were cancelled.
According to Sa’adu, the total number of registered voters in the affected areas stood at 5,446.
“Because the number of uncast votes exceeded the margin, the election cannot be concluded until the supplementary poll is conducted,” he explained.
