 has declared the Kaura Namoda South State Constituency by-election){kind=link}
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Kaura Namoda South State Constituency by-election in Zamfara State inconclusive following the cancellation of results from several polling units.
Announcing the decision, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Lawal Sa’adu of the Federal University Gusau, explained that the cancellations affected two wards—Sakajiki and Kambarawa.
According to him, the affected polling units have a total of 5,446 registered voters, with 3,265 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected.
Preliminary results showed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the lead with 7,001 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 5,339 votes. This left a margin of 1,662 votes.
Sa’adu, however, noted that the margin was less than the total number of collected PVCs in the cancelled polling units, making it impossible for a clear winner to be declared.
“The Electoral Act is clear on this matter,” Sa’adu said.
“Where the margin of lead is smaller than the number of voters with valid PVCs in the affected polling areas, the election cannot be concluded until a supplementary poll is conducted.”
He cited Sections 24(2 & 3), 47(3), and 51(2) of the Electoral Act 2022, alongside INEC’s Election Manual, as the legal basis for the declaration.
Providing further details, Sa’adu explained that Sakajiki Ward had two polling units with 1,357 registered voters and 1,298 PVCs collected.
In Kambarawa Ward, three polling units were affected, covering 4,088 registered voters and 1,964 collected PVCs.
INEC has therefore scheduled a supplementary election in the five affected polling units across both wards. A new date for the rerun, he said, will be announced soon.
The outcome of the rerun will ultimately determine who secures the Kaura Namoda South seat in the Zamfara State House of Assembly.