In Jigawa State, a controversy has arisen over conflicting reports on the results of the Garki-Babura federal constituency bye-election, particularly at the polling unit of the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar.
Initial reports suggested a loss for the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the minister’s polling unit. However, the minister’s office has refuted this claim, presenting a different set of results.
A news story alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won at Polling Unit 001 in Babura Kofar Arewa Primary School, where the minister voted.
According to the report, the PDP received 308 votes compared to the APC’s 112, indicating a significant victory for the opposition.
Allegedly, the minister, a former governor and key APC figure, cast his ballot under tight security and left without engaging with the press.
However, the minister’s media aide, Mati Ali, released a statement dismissing these reports as “false and misleading.”
Clarification from the Defence Minister’s Camp
The statement clarified that Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar’s actual polling unit is Polling Unit 002, not 001, at the same Babura Kofar Arewa Primary School.
The minister’s office accused “mischief makers” of spreading fabricated results to damage his reputation. The authentic results from Polling Unit 002, as declared by INEC, showed a win for the APC.
The APC garnered 188 votes, surpassing the PDP’s 164 votes. The minister’s team confirmed his victory at the polling unit, urging everyone to ignore the earlier reports and rely on the official INEC results.
The bye-election in Jigawa was part of a series of re-run and bye-elections held by INEC across 12 states on August 17.
Although reports from various areas highlighted apathy, violence, and vote buying, the attention in Jigawa has centered on the disagreement over the minister’s polling unit outcome, underscoring the intense political atmosphere surrounding the electoral process.
