The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi State has made a fervent plea for the annulment of the results of the November 11th governorship election in the state. This call was vociferously expressed at the gubernatorial election collation centre, where David Edibu, the party’s collation agent, submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The petition implored for the cancellation of results in Okene, Okehi, Ogori Magongo, Adavi, Ajaokuta Local Government Areas, as well as certain parts of Lokoja. The basis for this plea hinges on allegations of corrupt practices, vote buying, and over voting.
Edibu further alleged that SDP agents were unjustly barred from gaining proximity to the polling units in the aforementioned local government areas, thus raising concerns about the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
The state’s returning officer, Prof. Johnson Urame, took delivery of the petitions on behalf of the commission, offering assurance to the Social Democratic Party that the submitted petition would be meticulously reviewed.
Conversely, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has pledged its support for SDP’s petition. Abubakar Mahmood, the Collation agent of the PDP, underscored the surging prevalence of malpractices in the identified Local Government Areas, expressing profound concern over the alarming irregularities.
Nevertheless, the All Progressives Congress (APC) responded to the call for the cancellation with a counter-argument. The party posited that the Peoples Democratic Party cannot shift blame for failing to deploy agents to the polling units.
As the tides of political discourse surge, a cloud of uncertainty looms over the outcome of the governorship election in Kogi State, with the fervent clamour for fairness and transparency in the electoral process stirring the vortex of public opinion.
