SENATOR representing Borno South in the Senate, Ali Mohammad Ndume said the Boko Haram attack in his hometown, Gwoza, on election day prevented many voters from casting their ballots.
Ndume in an interactive session with journalists on Wednesday at his residence in Maiduguri said only about 20,000 out of the 137,000 registered voters, which is approximately 15% voted in the last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.
The Senator now elected for the fourth consecutive time, appreciated the confidence bestowed on him by the people of his constituent, promising that he will sustain the delivery of dividends of democracy, even as he extended an olive branch to his opponents who could not make it in the keen contest.
Similarly, the Senator-Elect for Borno Central on the platform of the ruling APC, Barrister Kaka Shehu Lawan has praised the people of Borno for voting for their choices in the last Saturday election.
He specifically described his opponent who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Barrister Mohammed Umara Kumalia, but lost out, as a serial -failed- election petitioner, and that he is ready for any Court Case on the allegations that the elections were not conducted transparently and it was against the 2022 electoral Act.
Barrister Lawan singled out praises on President Muhammadu Buhari, President-Elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President-Elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, Governor Babagana Zulum, Shehu of Borno, Dikwa and Bama as well as traditional and religious leaders, Borno APC Chairman, Hon Ali Bukar Dalori, all APC stakeholders, Party supporters and concerned citizens for their unflinching support which led to the peaceful and fair conduct of the election process
Recalled that on Tuesday at a press briefing held at NUJ press centre in Maiduguri, Kumalia had outrightly rejected the results of the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections citing electoral irregularities and refusal to upload results from the polling units to the BVAS and Independent National Electoral Commission’s, INEC’s server/portal based on the 2022 Electoral Act guidelines.
He said Boko Haram attacked the town while elections were going on, targeting a primary school, INEC office and another polling unit.
He however expressed satisfaction on the quick intervention by the military. He said the military responded by firing back at the terrorists which created the atmosphere for voting to continue.
He lauded electorates for giving him the fourth mandate, even as he called on those who could not make it to carry- the -cross in order to better the lives of southern Borno people irrespective of tribe, religion, political or ethnic sentiments.
“I want to thank the military for their bravery. They told us to calm down and assured us they will clear Boko Haram within 30 minutes and it didn’t take them more than an hour. I think they should also be commended for the use of technology which helped to get the location of Boko Haram on the hill,” he disclosed.
