Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi West senatorial district of Kogi state have charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include all the areas that witnessed ballot box snatching, intimidation, aggression and gun shots in the rescheduled supplementary elections of November 30 in the district.
The areas, according to the party leaders, include Kakanda Ward, Kupa South of Lokoja II, Kabba town of Kabba-Bunu LGA, Iyara, ljumu LGA, Odokoro, Ayetoro-Gbede, lyah/Ayeh and Okedayo/Egbeda, 11 In units 1, 2 and 3 of Mopamuro LGA among others.
The PDP zonal chairman in the Kogi West district, Barrister Kola Ojo, said these Monday while addressing journalists in Abuja.
Barr Ojo, who addressed the media along with several other chieftains of the party from Kogi West at the PDP national secretariat, maintained that the ordered supplementary election is deliberately aimed at manipulating the outcome of the Kogi West supplementary and re-run senatorial elections in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Smart Adeyemi.
Barrister Ojo added that the conduct of the Saturday, November 16 governorship and senatorial elections in Kogi state, particularly in relation to the Senatorial elections, as announced by INEC fell far short of the minimum standards for credible elections worldwide as attested to by all National and International observers.
He said “The entire Kogi West senatorial election results as announced by the electoral umpire ought to have been cancelled having regards to the unprecedented deployment of arms and ammunition, thugs, unholy collaboration of INEC, the security agencies and the All Progressives Congress (APC) party in the entire electoral processes in negation of the Electoral Act, and INEC guidelines, is totally unacceptable and would therefore be challenged”.
He continued “In the interim, the PDP leadership in Kogi West strongly enjoins the INEC to, as a matter of urgency, include all the areas that witnessed ballot box snatching, intimidation, aggression and gun shots as detailed above, which rendered the so called collation of election results from such areas spurious, untenable and unacceptable, in the now ordered supplementary elections of Saturday 30th November 2019, as failure to do so will be tantamount to legitimizing the fraud that took place during the November 16th elections.
“Put in place adequate, effective and responsive security measures that will engender an atmosphere devoid of fear, intimidation, aggression and other negative tendencies before, during and after the curious and deceptively ordered supplementary elections deliberately aimed at manipulating the outcome of the Kogi West supplementary cum rerun Senatorial elections in favour of the APC candidate.
“ln summary, it is incontestable that if INEC had ensured that all invalid votes were in the units detailed above had been discountenanced, the PDP would have won with a clear majority, and a rerun unnecessary.
“In view of the aforementioned, and without prejudice to the steps to be taken by the PDP to seek appropriate legal and constitutional redress, all members of the party in the areas where supplementary elections have been ordered by INEC, and the additional units we are canvassing for inclusion, are enjoined to remain resolute, committed and determined in ensuring the victory of the party by massively coming out to vote for the PDP in the said supplementary elections”.
