The Kano State resident electoral commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abdu Zango, has adjudged the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency by-election as peaceful and hitch-free.

Mr Zango stated this while speaking with journalists at Warawa, headquarters of Warawa Local Government Area, shortly after monitoring the ongoing election exercise.

The resident electoral commissioner described the exercise as smooth and peaceful, devoid of violence and rancour.

He also said it recorded no case of malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as the election process went smoothly.

He said three political parties, namely the All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), and Allied Peoples Movement (APM), participated in the election.

“So far, so good. You have seen things for yourself. The Warawa and Dawakin Kudu bye-election has gone on very well. No violence, no rancour.

“We witnessed a massive turnout, especially in Warawa. It’s a reflection of the planning and coordination, particularly in terms of security.

“And I want to thank the lead agency, the police, and other security agencies for meticulous planning. We have not recorded any incidents of violence whatsoever,” he said.

According to him, INEC had no technological challenges, adding that the BVAS worked perfectly well.

“A few days before the election, we had calls to update our BVAS to ensure that they were at their best for optimum performance.

“And it’s reflected in the outcome, and we are very proud of that. And I can guarantee you that INEC will upscale this so that BVAS becomes more efficient.

“We have had no problem anywhere, no incidents of malfunctioning of BVAS,” Mr Zango said.

Also speaking, Kano State Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Adamu-Bakori said no arrests or recoveries were made during the exercise.

“The election is without rancour. We didn’t see anybody carrying weapons as we used to see before.

“And we have seen what happened in the last election, where we arrested over 300 suspects with arms and weapons. Today, not even a stick, not even an abusive word, we have not witnessed yet.

“We can attribute it to the synergy within our sister agencies. And even the citizens have realised that taking weapons during elections doesn’t give them anything better,” the CP stated.

Earlier, the Chairman of Warawa Local Government Area, Lamido Sanusi-Ahmad, commended the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir-Yusuf, INEC, and security agencies for the hitch-free exercise.

He lauded the INEC for the timely deployment of officials and election materials to 143 polling units in the area.

A cross-section of presiding officers who spoke to journalists in Warawa said the exercise recorded a huge success, assuring that it was hitch-free.

The by-election was to fill the vacuum created by the sudden death of Muhammad Danjuma-Hassan, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) member representing Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency at the green chamber.

(NAN)