Nigeria Gubernatorial Elections 2015: Taraba State Run-Off Vote Date Set By Electoral Commission

Nigeria Politicians — Darius Ishaku (far left) the Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate in Nigeria's Taraba state, will compete in a runoff election April 25 against Sen. Aisha Jummai Alhassan of the All Progressives Congress. Ishaku is pictured here with outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan, PDP deputy gubernatorial candidate in Taraba state Haruna Manu, PDP National Chairman Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu and outgoing Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo, during the PDP's 2015 presidential rally in Jalingo, on Jan. 29, 2015. Reuters

Candidates from Nigeria's two major political parties will compete in a runoff election April 25 to decide the governorship of Taraba state, the country's Independent National Electoral Commission announced this week. The runoff will pit candidate Darius Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Sen. Aisha Jummai Alhassan of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Nigerian news outlet This Day Live reported.

The PDP is the party of outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan. The APC is the party of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, who defeated Jonathan in the country's presidential election, which was held March 28-29.

The electoral commission ordered the runoff after declaring results of Taraba state's April 11 gubernatorial election inconclusive. Commission officials had canceled votes in the election that totaled more than the margin between the two candidates, This Day Live reported. Ishaku had garnered 317,198 votes to Alhassan’s 262,386 -- for a difference of 54,812 votes. But the canceled votes totaled 127,125.

"We have several cases of figures being subverted, from polling units to ward, and down to the local government areas," electoral commissioner Gabriel Ada said, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.

Phebian Yame, a spokesman for the Department of Enlightenment and Publicity, announced the date for the runoff during a briefing at the head office of the electoral commission in Jalingo, the Taraba capital. Yame said the date had been communicated to all parties.

The announcement came as election-related violence in Taraba had subsided. The violence had occurred in Jalingo and in Sunkani (headquarters of the Ardo Kola local government area) and Gembu (headquarters of the Sardauna local government area). The death toll from the violence in Sunkani had risen to 11, a local news report said.

Declaring the elections inconclusive and ordering a runoff is consistent with Nigeria's constitution and its Electoral Act, said Kyari Mohammad, an elections officer. The rules stipulate that when the total number of canceled votes in an election is higher than the margin between the first- and the second-place candidates, elections should be declared inconclusive and a runoff should be conducted.

The runoff election will be held at all 165 polling stations of the Donga local government area, as well as in some polling areas in Bali, Karim Lamido, Takum, Ussa, Wukari, Yorro and Zing, This Day Live reported.

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