The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the last week Saturday’s inconclusive Kogi West Senatorial rerun election, Dino Melaye has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel results of the election.
INEC had declared the election inconclusive on the ground that the margin between the leading candidates, Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressive Congress (APC), was below the number of qualify voters in polling units were elections were not held.
However, Melaye Wednesday in a petition addressed to the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, by his lawyer, Tobechukwu Nweke, alleged that the election that took place was full of irregularities and urged the commission to painstakingly study the petition and cancel the election.
“We act as solicitors to Senator Dino Daniel (Dino) Melaye, the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election to the senate of Kogi West Senatorial District held on 16th November, 2019 on whose instructions we write this correspondence.”
“We have enclosed herewith 21 copies of video discs which captured wide spread violence, gunshots and killings, disruption of the election, snatching of ballots, multiple thumb printing, several electoral malpractices and irregularities and a total sabotage of the electoral process all of which marred the election to the Senate of Kogi West Senatorial District,” the petition said while giving detail of the polling units it claimed was affected”, the petition read.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the post-election violence reported in Kogi State which led to the death of a PDP woman Leader, Salome Abuh and destruction of property in the state.
The Party condoled with the family of the deceased and others affected by the post-election violence, stating that the killing was as a result of a reprisal attack and urged the Kogi people to ensure this does not escalate.
Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary in a statement said the party is aware that the Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has already directed law enforcement agencies to fish out the perpetrators.
He noted that the APC abhors violence and other criminalities which sadly continue to plague our electioneering process and urged partisans to see election as a democratic contest and not a do or die affair that we pay with our lives.
While praying that the culprits are caught and the full weight of the law is brought to bear on them, Issa-Onilu said, “President Muhammadu Buhari has advised partisans that are not satisfied with the results of governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states to seek redress in court and shun violence. We must all heed this call”.
James Kwen, Abuja
