Politics

Sen. Dino Questions INEC’s Integrity Over Nov 30th Poll

The Peoples Democratic Party PDP Candidate for the Kogi West Senatorial District Sen. Dino Melaye has questioned the integrity of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC over the November 30 poll in Kogi state.

In a petition Dino Melaye submitted to INEC Wednesday in Abuja, Melaye said while the figures were unreliable, there was a need to also include areas where the polls were disrupted during the November 16 elections, in conducting the supplementary polls.

He said, “it will be recalled that acting on my instructions, my solicitors, Messrs Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) & Co, forwarded to you the attached petition, dated 18th November 2019, calling for the cancellation of the Kogi West Senatorial District election held on 16th November 2019. The call was made against the backdrop of widespread electoral malpractices and irregularities in all the seven LGAs in the Senatorial District. These include violence, gunshots and killings, disruption of voting, snatching of ballot boxes and multiple thumb printing which made national and international observers conclude that the election failed woefully to meet the globally accepted minimum standard for credible elections.

“It is particularly significant that the conduct of the elections has come under scathing scrutiny and condemnation by the two chambers of the National Assembly.

“Although there has been no official reaction to the said petition, your Commission has since issued an official notification dated 21st November 2019, for the conduct of (partial) Supplementary election slated for November 30, 2019. This was followed by the publication of the affected areas and voting points on your Commission’s Website.

A summary is as follows:

Total number of Registration Areas – 20

Total number of Polling Units – 53

Total of Registered Voters – 46,767

Total number of affected LGAs – 7

“Whereas the Commission has released the above data for the conduct of the supplementary (partial) election, it is pertinent to state that the areas as listed do not reflect the total number of units affected by the pervasive malpractices and irregularities”, he posited.

Melaye said, “in more specific terms, my findings on the field have revealed the following:

Lokoja Local Government Area: One of the worst cases of malpractices and irregularities occurred in this Local Government, where 16 out of the 23 units of the Ward were attacked by thugs and those that have been described as ‘fake policemen’ by the Inspector – General of Police, with the support of helicopters and government-owned vehicles. Although no re-run has been ordered in any of the affected units we have since discovered that results of nine (9) of the units in reference were actually cancelled at collation centres.

The units affected are as follows:

“Mami market near bus code 001, number of reg. Voters 2,303.

Open space opp. Mami code 002, number of reg. Voters : 1,810.

Lokongoma village. Code 004, reg. Voters: 3,016.

Ajagbe mech. Code 008, reg. Voters 2175.

.St marry LGEA, Code 011, reg. Voters: 1523.

Crowther Memorial, Code 012, reg. Voters: 2055.

Part of new Layout, Code 015, reg. Voters: 1586.

Holy Trinity Prim. School, Code 020, reg. Voters: 1522.

Lokongoma phase 1, Code 023, reg. Voters: 3900.

“The 9 units listed above should be included in the re-run. Curiously, the remaining 7 units out of the 16 where boxes were carted away were admitted in the collation with spurious figures in favour of APC. These units ought to be part of the re-run-in line with your guidelines and consistency.

“The re-run notice issued by INEC covering the entire 7 Local Government Areas in Kogi West Senatorial District, as well as the details contained in this petition further amplify the pervasiveness of the malpractices and irregularities that marred the conduct of the November 16, 2019 election. These also justify my earlier demand for the cancellation of the entire process.