Niger Gov-Elect & Members-Elect State House Of Assembly Received Certificates  Of Return From INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, has presented a certificate of return to the Niger State Governor-Elect, Hon. Umar Muhammad Bago of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and his Deputy Governor -Elect, Comrade Yakubu Garba including Members-Elect of the State House of Assembly.

Speaking during the presentation, the Resident Electoral Commissioner( REC) for Niger State, Alhaji Ahmed Yusha’u Garki, said the Governor-Elect His Excllency Muhammad Umar   Bago of the APC, polled and scored a total number of 469,896 votes to defeat the Governorship candidate of the PDP in the just concluded Governorship election in the state Alhaji Liman Isah Kantigi with just 387,476 to come second.

The REC stated that the presentation of the certificate of return to the Governor-Elect and Members-Elect of the State House of Assembly was a constitutional requirements of the 2022 electoral act as amended.

Yusha’u Ahmed Garki, thereby congratulated the elected officials and charged them to discharge their constitutional mandates as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Reublic of Nigeria  as amended, towards a democratic rules and participatory governance in the State.

It should be noted that the certificate of return to elected officials are constitutional requirements in the Nigeria Electoral Act, it is a global best practice in democratic countries towards deepening democracy and transparent good governance in the World.

However despite the outcry that greeted the hitches recorded with the use of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines during the 2023 General elections across  the country , the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled it’s planning for a fully digitized elections  in 2027.

National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Niger,  kwara and kogi states, Prof.Muhammed Sani Adams, SAN made the disclosure  at the presentation of Certificates of Return to elected officials from Niger State led by the State’s Governor- Elect, Hon. Mohammed Umar Bago, his deputy,Comrade Yakubu Garba and members of the state House of Assembly,  at the Justice Idris   Legbo kutugi Internationally Conference Centre Minna on Thursday.

According to him, “There is no harm in introducing technology in the 2023 General elections, it was a game changer for us”, adding that “We conducted one of the finest elections, it will go down in history as one of the fairest, free and most credible in the history of Nigeria”.

He however pointed out that, Democracy is taking structure in Nigeria and from the progress made so far, it clearly shows that Democracy has come to stay.

“Governors should serve the people, not themselves, from what we witness during the last election it was obvious that, people voted whom they wanted not because they were forced to”.

Professor Adams thereby urged elected officials to stick to their campaign manifestoes, by ensuring that they not only improve on infrastructure, but build human capacity.

Responding on behalf of other recipients of Certificate of Return, Niger State Governor- elect,  Hon. Muhammed Umar Bago assured people of the state that he would run an open door administration adding that,  he will  prioritize security, infrastructure development, expand revenue base as part of his five point agenda.

“This mandate is a collective mandate to reshape Niger State,” Bago declared.