The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that supplementary election will not hold in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State on Saturday, March 23, due to an ongoing court case.

According to Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the commission will hold the poll in other affected areas of the state.

“We are going to conduct an election in Bauchi tomorrow except in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area because of the court action instituted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate,” he said on Friday during an interview on The Verdict, which aired on Channels Television.

Although the electoral body has obeyed the restraining order. But insists that elections would hold in other Local Government Areas of Bauchi State, and the Commission has instituted an action to vacate the court order.

He regretted the rate at which politicians file litigation in court, and appealed to politicians to be matured enough to accept the outcome of election whether they lose or win in the contest.

Oyekanmi admitted to the possibility that people will be confused, following the court injunction constraining INEC from going ahead with the poll in Tafawa Balewa LGA, but explained that the electoral body has tried to sensitise the public on recent developments.

“We were prepared for the election and we have mobilised. I think we have sensitised the public. All of a sudden, we had this court issue which shouldn’t really be there in the first place.

“As a law-abiding agency, we have to comply with the order. But we are challenging that order. People will be confused as to what is going on, our Benue State office is trying its best to sensitise the stakeholders as to what is really going on and to encourage them to come out and vote,” he added.

•Sourced from a Channels TV report

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