Barely a day after losing the governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Isah Ashiru, says the outcome of the poll does not reflect the people’s wishes.
On Monday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Uba Sani of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the 2023 governorship election in Kaduna State.
Sani polled a total of 730,002 votes to defeat his closest rival, PDP’s Ashiru who polled 719,196 votes. The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Jonathan Asake, came a distant third after polling 58,283 votes while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Suleiman Hunkuyi scored 21,405 votes.
But in a statement signed by the Deputy Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Rueben Buhari, the PDP candidate urged all his supporters and party members who desire genuine leadership in the state to remain calm and peaceful despite the outcome of the election.
“People who believed in the vision my party and I stood for showed exemplary dedication, sacrifice, and commitment to our project,” Ashiru said.
“Despite challenges that include fuel and cash scarcity, insecurity, and threat, people still braved the odds to go and vote. And while the announcement of the results went through several postponements, they patiently and peacefully waited.
“I remain grateful for such commendable passion and support, especially the insight and guidance provided to me.”
The PDP candidate stated that he and his party are x-raying the entire electoral process, including the announced result which totally didn’t reflect the wish of the majority of Kaduna voters, which he says will form the basis for future actions that could be taken by him and the party.
He also thanked members of his party and supporters who sacrificed their time and resources during the electoral processes in the state, noting that the dedication, commitment, and confidence shown to him by the people, including political colleagues have truly humbled him.
