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Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye, on Wednesday, submitted petition and 21 video clips of the electoral fraud committed during the rerun senatorial election held last weekend, calling for total cancellation of the poll.
Melaye, who arrived the headquarters of the commission around 11.15am, had demanded to meet the chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, but ended up presenting the petition to National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, who represented the chairman.
“We are here to present a protest letter calling for the cancellation of Kogi West rerun election. 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.
“I implore the Commission to study painstakingly, the events captured in the said video discs which reveal that election was not conducted in Kogi State Senatorial District and to cancel the entire election to the Senate of Kogi West Senatorial District held on November 16.
Speaking to newsmen from the sideline after submitting the letter, he still described the poll as helicopter election, warning that if the commission wants to protect its integrity, it must cancel the election.
“If INEC has integrity, they must have to cancel the rerun Kogi West senatorial district election. It is surprising to hear the IGP claiming that the police used to rig the election were fake policemen, but if we agree that they were fake police, was the guns they were holding also fake,” he asked rhetorically.
In the letter, his lawyer, Tobechukwu Nweke, MCArb, giving more reasons for the cancellation of the election, he warned that democracy on trial.
“Apart from the video footages which speak for themselves, there were instances where the election was marred. Kogi West Senatorial District is made up of seven Local Government Areas comprising; Kabba/Bunu, Lokoja, Kogi, Mopa/Amuro, Ijumu, Yagba West, Yagba East.
“The following anomalies were encountered in the underlisted Local Governments which marred the election
Kaba Bunu LGA: After collation of results, the Returning Officer in announcing the results of the election announced for this Local Government Area as follows:
Number of cancelled votes- 22,293, Registered Voters- 74, 789, Accredited Voters- 26,660, Total Valid Votes- 24,223
Rejected Votes- 406 and Total Votes Cast-24,629
“The implication is that 22,293 votes were cancelled out of the votes cast by 26, 916 accredited voters, thereby leaving 4,367 votes as the valid votes cast, yet a whopping 24,223 was again recorded and announced as the total valid votes for this Local Government and was allocated to the parties in order to favour the candidate of All Progressives Congress.
“The effect of this aberration is that the result as declared for this Local Government is a nullity and should not be countenanced. This was demonstrated on Channels TV. See the video footage attached.
“In conclusion, sequel to the above mentioned spread violence, gunshots and killings, disruption of the election, snatching of ballots, multiple thumb printing, several electoral malpractices, irregularities and total sabotage of the electoral process cut across all the seven LGA in Kogi State which were demonstrated in the video footages attached herein, and the facts in paragraphs 1-5 above which reveals that the election was not conducted in Kogi State Senatorial District, in substantial compliance with the dictates of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) as well as the requisite Guidelines and Regulations issued for the election we urge the commission to cancel the entire election to the Senate of Kogi West Senatorial District held on November 16, 2019,” it appealed.
Responding, Okoye, who received the letter, promised to scrutinize the evidences he provided, moting: “We will note give you definite timeline when we get back to him.
“You know that the material especially the video clips evidences are voluminous, we will have to go through them,” he said.
