Nigeria Reports of Pakistan Politician Giving Up Rigged Seat Impresses Nigerians

Image Credit: Voice of America

Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, the recently declared winner of the PS-129 provincial election in Karachi, Pakistan, has voluntarily given up his seat, citing an "illegitimate win."

The election, part of the national and provincial elections held on February 8, saw Rehman, a Jamaat-e-Islami party candidate, securing victory with over 26,000 votes.

However, he claims that the election was rigged in his favor against independent candidate Saif Bari, backed by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Rehman alleges discrepancies in the vote count, revealing a significant reduction in Bari's votes from 31,000 to 11,000 when individual polling station records were examined.

Taking a principled stance, Rehman stated, "If anyone wants to make us win illegitimately, we will not be accepting that." The development adds to the controversy surrounding the already contentious national elections, marked by allegations of interference and fraud, despite denials from Pakistani electoral authorities.

The question now remains as to who will assume Rehman's vacated PS-129 seat.