The Birnin Kudu local government chairman election in Jigawa state was on Saturday marred by violence as irrate youths held officials of the State Independent Electoral Commission (JSIEC) hostage.
SINL Nigeria reports that angry youths who suspected alleged foul play by the JSIEC officials at the Chiyako polling ward to subvert the winner of the election.
Trouble started when the returning officer of the ward was suddenly declared missing despite the presence of all the presiding officers that collated 11 elections conducted within the wards of the council.
The miraculous disappearance of the returning officer may have prompted voters to force other electoral officers, together with the agents of various political parties into a classroom and locked them with padlocks.
Among those forcefully detained include about twenty police officers alongside dozens of vigilante members who were confined to a space by hundreds of stick carrying youths.
The voters protested all through the night, insisting that they will not leave the venue until the actual winner of the election is announced.
However, at about 12 noon, the state chairman of the JSIEC, Alhaji Adamu Ibrahim sent in an electoral officer in company of a large number of police officers to the polling unit, who later announced the PDP candidate, Inusa Abdullahi winner.
Abdullahi polled 3,951 to defeat Yusuf Umar of the APC, who polled 680 votes.
The declaration of the winner was greeted with celebrations that erupted throughout the community.
Earlier, the state governor, Alhaji Muhammed Badaru Abubakar had issued a statement which was signed by his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Mr Habibi Kila calling on the electoral umpire to declare the candidate that was certified to have won the election.
The governor urged the citizens to be law abiding while assuring that whoever won the election would be declared the winner.
