Suspected thugs attacked the House of Representatives collation centre for the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Constituency in Bununu town, Bauchi State, injuring several people and damaging more than 10 vehicles, mostly belonging to the ruling party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The attack occurred after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the All Progressives Congress candidate, Ja’afar Leko, as the winner of the election, rather than PDP candidate Kefas Magaji, who is supported by former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.
A former Senior Special Assistant on Media to Dogara, Iliya Habila, narrowly escaped the attack by the heavily armed thugs. According to Habila, the transfer of the collation centre from Zwall to Bununu was suspicious, and the thugs’ intent was to cause confusion and perpetrate violence.
After hours of holding electoral officials and security agencies hostage, military intervention was necessary to retrieve the concocted results.
The PDP candidate has rejected the result and stated his intention to recover his mandate in court. This incident has raised concerns about the increasing level of political violence in Nigeria, particularly during election periods.
