The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Kogi state chapter has described the just concluded Presidential /National Assembly and the State House of Assembly election as a sham and charade characterised and manipulations.
The party said guns were freely used to threaten, harassed and forced people to vote against their will and to win elections in the state.
Stating this in a press conference held in Lokoja which was presided over by its deputy chairman of the party Sam Abenemi, the party said democracy was not only murdered in Kogi state but was exchanged for “gun crazy”.
The party lamented that a system of government where government officials and state sponsored political thugs used guns to snatch ballot boxes, write election results and allocate results to the advantage of the APC cannot be regarded as true democracy.
“The presidential, national assembly, supplementary national assembly elections and the state houses of assembly elections may have ended several days ago across the various voting points in our dear state, we in the Kogi state PDP are still shocked by the desperation displayed by the APC-led administration in the state, the role of security agencies like the police, the military and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“The exercise may have ended and formally declared conclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the charade did not end without clearly validating initial concerns of the PDP and majority of Kogi people about the willingness of INEC to conduct credible elections.
“The recently held elections did not only take us several years backwards in our political evolution. Aside the civil war of 1967, nowhere in Kogi state had ever witnessed the heavy militarization of towns and villages by the APC like was witnessed during the just concluded presidential, national and state assembly elections.
“It is, therefore, pursuant to the various infractions which characterized the election processes that the Kogi state PDP rejects in its entirety the outcome of the elections in Kogi state” the chairman said.
He pointed out that ”While good governance, vigorous campaigns usually herald elections in Nigeria, Kogi state became a theatre for rigging and electoral violence amongst other infractions obviously because the APC-led administration having failed to meet the yearnings and aspiration of the people, substituted democracy for “gun crazy”
“Kogi people would also recall that the PDP had repeatedly raised the alarm about arms importation into the state, training of armed thugs as vigilantes, unholy romance between serving members of the state cabinet with INEC officials.
“Also disenchanted staff of the state government and even security operatives revealed the existence of questionable relationships between key staff of the INEC in Kogi state and various individuals especially government appointees all of whom have various interests in the just concluded elections.
”As a party, we specifically disclosed that the ruling party in Kogi state having been rejected by the people were likely to utilize intimidating tactics to shore up the votes, as well as deter large turnout of electorate in opposition strongholds.
“This fear came to the fore as under the cover of security agencies, PDP members, and candidates were arrested, detained, abducted, with heavy voter intimidation accompanied by violence in the just concluded elections.
“To this end, the Kogi state PDP announces that indeed INEC in Kogi state provided sufficient leeway for the heavy malpractices that was the hallmark of the just concluded elections.”
The party’s deputy state chairman encouraged PDP members and supporters to remain hopeful, saying notwithstanding the temporal setback, justice will prevail and the wishes of Kogi people will be upheld.
