By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA – A political pressure group within the Gombe state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Inuwa Organization Network, has described Saturday’s local government election in the state as fraudulent, demanding for its cancellation.

The group described what happened in the state as a “heavily compromised arrangement by the State Independent Electoral Commission SIEC in the hands of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state”.

A statement signed by the spokesman of the group Kabir Mohammed, and made available to Sunday Vanguard in Abuja stated that election did not take place due to non availability of voting materials, result sheets and other sensitive materials meant for the exercise across the state.

The organization, therefore, called on the state Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to fix another date for the exercise.

“Contrary to earlier assurances by the GOSIEC Commissioner for Public Affairs, Mr. Kalagar Kudi Lubo, it will not withhold sensitive election materials to deny opposition political parties to participate in the election, the reverse is the case today in Gombe.

“GOSIEC leadership has successfully allowed themselves to be used by the PDP. This is not surprising, election manipulation is a trade this dying party understands the most”, the group noted.

While giving a catalogue of irregularities which characterized the exercise and why such election could not stand, Mohammed said “the obvious absence of Result Sheets in all the polling units across the state, is a threat to free and fair election.”

He also queried “why sensitive materials passed the night in some police stations? Are the materials under arrest or safe keeping?.

“The fact that the major instrument of election being the sensitive materials and the result sheets are not made available, there is need for the LGA election to be cancelled.”

While calling on all lovers of democracy to call GOSIEC to order and do the right thing, the group said “duplication of sensitive materials by the state electoral empire undermines the essence of democracy”.