SAN FRANCISCO, October 30, (THEWILL) – The All Progressive Congress (APC) has won a double victory as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared its candidate, Alhaji Abdullahi Kalambaina, as winner of Saturday’s Kware/Wamakko Federal Constituency’s bye-election in Sokoto State.
Kalambaina polled 31,288 votes to defeat his closest rival, Alhaji Aminu Bello-Kware of the People Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 7,205.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Abdulatif Usman, said 43,130 voters were accredited for the bye-election out of 176,825 total registered voters in the constituency.
Usman said 42,532 eligible voters cast their votes with 40,046 valid while 2,486 votes were rejected.
According to him, Kabir Altine of ACPN scored 62 votes, Umaru Muhammad of ADC 80, Muktar Umar of APA 342, Aliyu Bilyaminu APGA 121, Abubakar Bello DA 32 and Jamilu Imam of DPP scored 155 votes.
Others were; Abdullahi Abubakar GPN 326, Abubakar Ahmad KOWA 33, Kabiru Al-mustapha MMN 24, Abubakar Sama’ila MPPP 19, Kabiru Ahmad NCP 28, Umar Ma’azu NDLP 50, Aminu Mustapha NEPP 33 and Yahaya Muhammad of NCP scored 105 votes.
He further listed Nura Abubakar of PPP 38, Nasiru Garba SDP 27, Abdulrahman Dalhatu UPN 15, Sanusi Aliyu UPP 06 and Shehu Buba of YPP scored 05 votes while the only woman contestant Hafsatu Umar of A party scored 52 votes.
Usman, therefore, declared Kalambaina as the winner having garnered the highest votes as stipulated in the electoral law.
The election followed the death of the occupant of the seat Muhammad Wammako in July.
Also, Alhaji Danladi Sankara, former Senator representing Jigawa Northwest, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the APC.
Sankara was received by the Jigawa Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru at the Malam Aminu Kano triangle Square on Sunday in Dutse.
Badaru said that the defection of the former senator was a welcome development to the party in the state insisting that the APC had caught a big fish, because of Sankara’s pedigree in his former party.
Badaru recalled that Sankara was one time National Vice chairman, PDP Northwest geo-political zone and Sole Administrator of the party in Sokoto state.
“With his defection to APC, PDP is completely dead in Jigawa because Sankara is one of the founders of PDP in the country and the person that brought it to jigawa,” he said.
Chief John Oyegun, National chairman of APC who was represented at the ceremony by the chairman of the party in the Northwest, Alhaji Shuaibu Lawal, assured that Sen. Sankara would be treated fairly like other members of the party.
Earlier, while formally declaring for the party, Sankara said that he was joining the party with 8,905 of his supporters and pledged to work for the unity and progress of the party, to win all elections in the state and at the federal level.
