INEC orders supplementary election in Doguwa's constituency

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that the National Assembly election conducted in Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano on Saturday, February 25, 2023, produced no clear winner.

This comes after embattled Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was initially declared winner of the poll.

However, the Returning Officer for the election, Professor Ibrahim Adamu Yakasai, later said he declared Doguwa the winner under duress, leading to the commission not issuing him a certificate of return and delisting his name from reps-elect altogether.

Speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, Yakasai said INEC, having reviewed the results of the election in the Doguwa/Tudun Wada constituency, declared the exercise inconclusive and ordered a supplementary election.

He said the decision was in compliance with the with the provisions of the Electoral Act and that the, “the reviewed elections results stand as follows, APC 39,732, NNPP 34, 798, PDP 7,091.” 

The returning officer further explained that there were cancellation of results in 13 polling units and the total number of votes domiciled in those polling units submerged the margin of lead in favour of the APC and NNPP.

Furthermore, Yakasai disclosed that a total of 6,917 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were collected in the 13 cancelled polling units which is higher than the over 4,000 votes margin between the APC and NNPP candidates.

He said it therefore became necessary for the commission to conduct a supplementary election in the area to determine the winner.