A former member of the Kaduna State Home of Meeting, Suleiman Ibrahim-Dabo, has petitioned the chairman of the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee, INEC, Mahmoud Yakubu, over the delay within the conduct of a by-election for Zaria Kewaye State Constituency.
DAILY NIGERIAN stories that in March 2024, the speaker of the Home of Meeting declared the seat of the member representing Zaria/Kewaye Constituency, Ahmed Mohammed, vacant, following his resignation to select an appointment as commissioner of the FCT civil service fee.
In a letter titled “Delay in conduct of Zaria Kewaye State constituency election” and dated February 12, 2025, Mr Dabo lamented that nearly a yr after the previous occupant of the seat resigned, the electoral umpire was but to conduct an election to interchange him.
He subsequently demanded a proof from Mr Yakubu on the explanations for the delay in conducting the election.
“By the 18th of subsequent month [March 2025], It could be precisely one yr of an enormous vacuum in my native authorities, Zaria.
“For the reason that exit of Hon. Ahmed Mohammed from the Meeting, no try was made by INEC to tell members of this crucial constituency on when to conduct a by-election with a purpose to fill the vacuum, besides periodic rumours of tentative dates.
“The Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee, INEC, had left members of this constituency in limbo,” he mentioned.
He added that the Kaduna State Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC was knowledgeable concerning the vacuum by the “Clerk of the Kaduna State Home of Meeting vide a letter referenced LG/KD/S.207/VOL.III dated twenty sixth March, 2024 [See copy attached].
“By this letter, it’s anticipated that INEC would swiftly organize the conduct of a by-election with a purpose to defend the rights of the constituents,” Mr Dabo mentioned.
He, subsequently, expressed dismay on the non-conduct of the election, saying it’s regularly changing into part of INEC.
To buttress his level, Mr Dabo remembers that when “one of many members of the Kaduna State Home of Meeting from Giwa Native Authorities, Hon. Rilwan Aminu Gadagau, was killed by bandits on the Kaduna-Zaria street in December 2021, the place the seat remained vacant until the subsequent spherical of election interval in 2023.”
Whereas lamenting that his constituents have been left with out illustration on the state meeting, the previous lawmaker described the actions of INEC “as a really harmful precedent and a harmful democratic observe.”
He added that “This improvement had given room to the emergence of a preferred narrative that INEC is conniving with the ruling get together, APC, to forestall the conduct of by-elections particularly in areas the place the ruling APC is for certain of shedding election[s].
“It’s on this gentle that I name the eye of INEC to desist from this unhealthy observe and boldly specific in motion that it’s an umpire.
“Within the meantime, as a former member of the Kaduna State Home of Meeting, a crucial stakeholder in Zaria Native Authorities and a Card carrying member of PDP in Zaria Native Authorities, I kindly demand for a proof on this unhealthy democratic observe that’s undermining the basic rights of the teeming voting populace in my native authorities and in addition denying them entry to the dividends of democracy via their consultant within the Meeting.”
He mentioned the letter is according to the Freedom of Info Act 2011.
