The Bauchi State Chapter of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has vehemently rejected the local government elections held on Saturday, describing them as a brazen "electoral heist". In a statement issued by its State Secretary, Abdulazeez Haruna, the party denounced the polls as a "prearranged banditry" orchestrated by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC), and the state chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
The PRP expressed outrage over the blatant manipulation of the electoral process, which it claimed has reduced democracy to an authoritarian practice. "The people's right to vote was usurped, and elective positions were shared among a syndicate of undemocratic forces," the statement asserted.
The party also condemned IPAC's complicity in the electoral malfeasance, alleging that its leadership was rewarded with councillorship seats for their roles in orchestrating the "electoral banditry". The PRP accused the PDP of being declared the winner of all chairmanship and councillorship seats, while the people of Bauchi State were disenfranchised and denied their democratic rights.
The party described the development as a grave injustice and a mockery of democracy, warning that history would record the incident as a dark stain on the state's democracy. The PRP called on stakeholders, including civil society organisations and progressive-minded individuals, to join it in condemning the "electoral heist" and protecting the democratic system from such atrocities.