By Ado Hassan, Sokoto
Honourable Ahmad Abdullahi Kalambaina of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has retained the party’s seat in the House of Representatives after winning Saturday’s bye-election for the Kware/Wamakko Federal Constituency in Sokoto state conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).
Kalambaina emerged victorious as replacement of late Representative Abdullahi Speaker Wamakko after recording 31,288 votes against his opponent, Alhaji Aminu Bello Kware of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) who returned 7, 205 votes as announced Sunday morning by INEC.
Kware, who after suffering defeat at the APC primaries, decamped to PDP to secure an automatic ticket for the contest against Kalambaina who also is the sitting Chairman of Wamakko local government in Sokoto state.
Declaring the results, the Returning Officer, Prof. Abdulatif Usman, said 43,130 voters were accredited for the bye-election out of 176,825 total registered voters in the constituency.
Usman said 42,532 eligible voters cast their votes with 40,046 valid while 2,486 votes were rejected.
According to him, Kabir Altine of ACPN scored 62 votes, Umaru Muhammad of ADC 80, Muktar Umar of APA 342, Aliyu Bilyaminu APGA 121, Abubakar Bello DA 32 and Jamilu Imam of DPP scored 155 votes.
Others were; Abdullahi Abubakar GPN 326, Abubakar Ahmad KOWA 33, Kabiru Al-mustapha MMN 24, Abubakar Sama’ila MPPP 19, Kabiru Ahmad NCP 28, Umar Ma’azu NDLP 50, Aminu Mustapha NEPP 33 and Yahaya Muhammad of NCP scored 105 votes.
He further listed Nura Abubakar of PPP 38, Nasiru Garba SDP 27, Abdulrahman Dalhatu UPN 15, Sanusi Aliyu UPP 06 and Shehu Buba of YPP scored 05 votes while the only woman contestant Hafsatu Umar of A party scored 52 votes.
Usman, therefore, declared Kalambaina as the winner having garnered the highest votes as stipulated in the electoral law.
It will be recalled that late Wamakko(APC-Sokoto) who died in July this year in Abuja after a brief illness was representing (Kware/Wamakko) Federal Constituency in the HoRs
