Initially, when the election started, a lot of people thought it was going to be free, fair and credible but that imagination was short-termed because around 12.15pm the tradition in Kogi State elections set in, involving sporadic shooting and general violence.
At Crowther Memorial Grammar School, six Hilux van filled with police officers drove in with high speed causing apprehension, as people stood up, watching out for the next actions; immediately, sporadic gunshots rent the air. It was like a war situation.
Recall prior to the gubernatorial election, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) were preaching about peaceful election and political parties even entered into a peace accord, promising that the election would be peaceful, but the reverse was the case yesterday in Kogi. Instead of peace what the domestic, foreign observers and journalists witnessed was unmitigated violence as some of the observers were attacked.
A vivid example was the attack on Search For Common Ground (SFCG) Coordinator, Gift Omoniwa at Ganaja where she had gone to observe the election and other people that were bullied across the state.
Reacting to the happenings and information from observers from Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Prof. Adele Jinaidu said widespread violence would mar the guber poll and called for urgent security intervention
The CDD, one of the domestic observer groups observing Kogi governorship, decried the spate of violence and ballot box snatching across the state.
Jinaidu in Lokoja addressed a world news conference where CDD said reports from CDD observers indicated widespread violence, intimidation of voters, vote buying, abductions, gunshots and massive rigging that may undermine integrity of the governorship election in Kogi State.
CDD described the conduct of the election as falling short of public expectation in spite of the public outcry against electoral violence in the state.
In a related development, YIAGA Africa, another Civil Society Organisation decried the voter inducement and vote buying reports across the local government areas. Specifically, in Adavi PU 001 Afinorere) Ankpa(PL 010, ward 01), Ibaji (PU 007, Itale Iyanward) I’d ah (PU 001 Ugwod) Yagba East PU 01, ward 08) Kogi K. K (PU 005, Ukwu ward Ajaokuta (PU Geregu ward and Contament Centre (PU 005) voters were paid as much as N5,000 in some cases in exchange for their votes.
Also at Aluaja, Iyano ward in Ibaji Local Government Area, INEC officials were allegedly given N15,000 and security agents N50,000 to compromise the process.
YIAGA Africa therefore, called on INEC to cancel election in polling units with cases of snatching of ballot boxes, violence and disruption, saying in the spirit of transparency, YIAGA Africa calls on INEC to make public the list of polling units where elections are cancelled.
The organisation equally promised to observe the election and provide timely information on the Kogi 2019 governorship election.
VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, LOKOJA
