In a dramatic turn of events, Professor Johnson Urama, the Returning Officer for the Kogi State governorship election, issued a stern warning to the Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) during the collation of results on Sunday. The heated exchange came after the SDP official raised objections to the results from Okene Local Government Area (LGA), sparking tensions at the collation centre.
Expressing his dissatisfaction, the SDP secretary questioned the authenticity of the results, alleging that they had been tampered with and were different from what the party had been privy to since the previous day. He further claimed that the results were available on the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV), adding fuel to the already contentious situation.
Urama, visibly agitated by the disruption, reminded the SDP official of the regulations, emphasizing that only one agent per party was permitted to speak at the collation centre. He cautioned that the SDP secretary’s continued interference could lead to his removal from the premises, asserting his authority in a tense stand-off.
“Secretary of SDP, you know I have the powers to remove anybody trying to disrupt this. Don’t push me to use those powers. You have an agent here and he has spoken,” Urama vehemently warned, as the clash unfolded in the collation hall.
The clash between the Returning Officer and the SDP secretary sheds light on the intense scrutiny and high stakes surrounding the election process, highlighting the challenges and tensions that often accompany the compilation of election results.
