The Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday presented Certificates of Return to Kaduna State Governor-elect, Senator Uba Sani and the deputy governor-elect, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe.
The 30 members-elect of the state House of Assembly were also presented their certificates.
The Returning Officer for the state’s governorship election, Prof Lawal Suleiman Bilbis, from Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, announced that Sani of the All Progressives Congress candidate polled 730,002 votes to defeat his closest rival, Isah Ashiru Kudan of the Peoples Democratic Party, who scored 719,196 votes.
At a brief ceremony at the INEC headquarters in Kaduna, INEC National Commissioner in charge of Abuja, Kaduna, Plateau and Nasarawa states, Mohammed Haruna, presented the certificates of return to Sani and Balarabe.
Also, the Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state, Mohammed Mashi, presented the certificates of return to the 30 elected state Assembly members, comprising 18 APC and 12 PDP members.
The state Assembly is made up of 34 constituencies, but four constituencies of Kauru, Kudan, Giwa- East, and Sanga had their elections declared inconclusive by INEC due to electoral malpractices in the areas.
Speaking after receiving his Certificate of Return, Sani promised to lead with a sense of humanity, responsibility and fear of Allah. He promised to fulfill his campaign promises and carry everyone along, whether or not they voted for him.
Meanwhile, the PDP in a statement by the state publicity secretary, Abraham Catoh, appealed to its members and stakeholders to remain calm.
The statement added, “Our candidate, Rt. Hon. Mohammed Ashiru, won the election convincingly and all legally acceptable processes are on ground to claim back the people’s mandate. We submitted our application for review of the election last Friday, in accordance with Section 82 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and we are awaiting response from INEC national headquarters.”
