- Incidences of underage voting in Kano state has been attributed to the numbers of political party that contested the election
- Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso claimed that only one party contested the election
- The former governor also claimed that it was the first time he would see a group of children queuing up to vote
The senator representing Kano central at the Senate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, says the alleged underage voting in the state’s local government polls was as a result the limited numbers of political parties that contested the election. He claimed that 'only one party' was involved in the election.
He also claimed that rigging the election would have been impossible if several political parties were involved.
The senator said in an interview with Osasu Igbinedion on The Osasu Show, that it was the first time he would see a group of children queuing up to vote, The Cable reports.
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“In all elections, there should be more than one party contesting. If you have more than one party, then party A will not Allow part B to do any form of mago mago, especially the issue of people who are below 18.”
“In 2019, if you go there, no child will go close to any ballot box because if you are coming to vote for A, B will say get out of this place.
“But those ones, I think they were invited to go and thumbprint because the real people were not there, the Kwakwansiya and the PDP weren’t there.
“This is the first time I can see only children on the line or queue trying to vote I am seeing the type of thing that is happening," he said.
Speaking on the performance of the APC-led federal government, the ex-Kano governor said: “So far so good, the administration is doing its best, so also the party.
“But I hope the government and our party should do much more than what we have seen in the last three years so that by 2019, the good people of this country can come out again and vote for our candidates from the councillorship up to the position of president under the party.
“This last one year is very crucial for the party, the government and the country.”
He also said he has not decided if he will seek any political position in 2019.
“The issue of decamping or leaving APC is not on the table now. We are looking at how the various stakeholders in our party will look at the situation, not only in Kano but there are many other places that something should be done.
“People who understand democracy go into politics first and foremost as politicians. From 1991 to date, I contested 16 elections and won 14 and lost two.
“Even the two are important to me because anybody who is in this age of politics who has never contested an election, or contested and only won or lost, to us is not yet complete. We can’t call him a complete politician.
“When the time comes, we look at ourselves, if we realise there is need to contest, we contest. Now I am a senator, I am a very happy and contented politician,” he said.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna central at the national assembly urged the government to abolish State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOMS).
He argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had no constitutional power to invalidate any election conducted by the SIECOMS.
The senator made this known on Twitter in reaction to the recent case of under age voters in Kano state.
How Nigerian youths protest made the National Assembly pass the 'Not Too Young To Run' bill - on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng