The Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Mrs. Dominion Anosike has raised an alarm that some politicians in the state were after her life.

Mrs. Anosike, who was expected to appear before a committee set up by INEC to investigate controversies over the cancellation of the results of the governorship election in the local government area  has written to the chairman of the electoral body, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, requesting to appear before the electoral body at its headquarters in Abuja to present her case.

In the letter dated March 13, 2019 which was addressed to Prof. Yakubu and received in his office the following day, the Returning Officer said she has been threatened with instant death should she be found anywhere near Bauchi State.

“I superintended over the above election in Tafawa Balewa LGA as the Returning Officer and I believe that there will be need for your committee to find out from me what transpired at the collation centre that led to the cancellation of the result by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Bauchi State.

“The purpose of this letter to your good offices is to indicate my desire to appear before the team in another location, preferably Abuja as doing that in Bauchi State would constitute a threat to my life, as I have already been threatened with instant death should I be found anywhere in or near Bauchi State,” she said in the letter.

The REC for the Bauchi State governorship election, Prof. Mohammed Kyari had on Sunday evening cancelled the election of Tafawa Balewa, citing the failure of Mrs. Anosike to use the prescribed form to enter the result of the elections collated across the local government area.

This was despite her explanation to the commission that the result sheets meant for the gqqqqovernorship election were carted away by thugs who invaded the collation centre in Zwall, Tafawa Balewa LGA on Sunday morning.

However, Prof. Mohammed Kyari rejected the explanation and unilaterally declared that there was no result for Tafawa Balewa.  He consequently cancelled the election in the entire local government area even though there was no incident of cancellation, violence, or electoral malpractice at both the polling unit and ward levels as reported by Anosike.


Before the cancellation, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Bala Mohammed was in the lead after the results of 19 LGAs were collated while the incumbent governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (APC), trailed behind with a margin of over 4,000 votes.