SDP candidate, Murtala Ajaka, calls for suspension of end result declaration

Murtala Ajaka, the candidate of the Social Democratic Occasion (PDP) in Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State, has known as on the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) to cease additional announcement of the outcomes of the election pending the conclusion of its promised investigation into the irregularities recorded through the train.

Mr Ajaka made the decision in a press release by his marketing campaign spokesperson, Faruk Adejoh-Audu, on Sunday.

INEC has declared the outcomes of the election from 20 out of the 27 native authorities areas of the state.

The APC candidate, Ahmed Ododo, has to date garnered 424,678 votes, whereas the SDP candidate polled 221,245 votes.

On Saturday, the fee cancelled the election in 9 out of the ten wards in Ogori Magongo LGA after it was found that the outcomes sheets from them had been already stuffed earlier than accreditation started.

INEC, nonetheless, went forward to collate and announce the end result from the council with out resolving the difficulty.

Mr Adejoh-Audu stated the federal authorities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did its finest to ensure a stage enjoying floor by averting nearly, completely, the safety menace to the voters brazenly orchestrated by the state Governor Yahaya Bello however that INEC has completely thrown the individuals of the state into mourning by its conduct.

“On this regard, we’re calling on INEC to instantly stop asserting the outcomes forthwith till it has cancelled these areas that its prison employees colluded to rig the votes in favour of 1 candidate as uncovered by IReV.

“The continuing tragedy on the fee’s workplace in Lokoja known as collation and announcement of outcomes have to be disbanded instantly till credibility is restored to the method.

“We earnestly pray that INEC which ought to be the guard of our democracy, won’t in the end be the rationale our residents lose religion in one of the best type of authorities the world has ever recognized,” the assertion stated.

Earlier Petition

The SDP collation agent, David Ehimoni, had earlier on Sunday submitted a petition to the impact that INEC’s acknowledgement of the irregularities, particularly in Ogori Magongo, and different LGAs within the Central senatorial district, was sufficient purpose to droop the announcement of the outcomes from these areas.

He stated it was a contradiction for INEC to intervene the way in which it did, and nonetheless proceed to just accept outcomes from the identical polling items the place these irregularities had been noticed.

However INEC issued a press release, saying that the suspension of elections in Ogori Magongo and the instructed repeat of elections within the native authorities space had been on the discretion of the returning officer in making use of the precept of the margin of lead, which the APC at the moment enjoys going by the outcomes declared to date.

The Returning Officer for the election, Johnson Urama, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Teachers, College of Nigeria, Nsukka, in his response to the SDP’s petition, stated INEC would reply appropriately to the occasion’s petition, however the collation and declaration of end result would proceed.

Mr Ehimoni continued to press for the cessation of the end result declaration however met with opposition from the APC and the INEC officers.

The APC’s margin of lead forward of the SDP is 203,433. The determine far exceeds the full variety of votes cancelled in Ogori Magongo, which stands at 15,424 (which is the variety of those that have collected PVCs within the areas).

Learn the complete textual content of the assertion by the SDP marketing campaign spokesperson

“Towards all logic, legislation and decency the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) is hurriedly progressing with the announcement of the outcomes of an election it has hitherto and voluntarily declared as doubtful and compromised in Kogi State.

“INEC has out of the blue turned ostrich to faux that the malpractices it uncovered can simply be ignored and no one, not even the victims of the electoral heist are entitled to protest.

“Yesterday, Saturday, November 11, 2023 night of election day INEC introduced the cancellation of polls in Ogori-Magongo after conceding that the method had been undermined. The election umpire additionally suspended the outcomes rising from Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okehi and Okene LGAs as a result of these outcomes already uploaded on I-rev clearly indicated an outrageous disparity between accredited voters and the votes clearly allotted.

“The Fee stated it was going to research the outcomes and warned that any outcomes extraneous to the method wouldn’t be acceptable.

“We’ve repeatedly declared our confidence within the skill of INEC to conduct a reputable ballot and in keeping with this perception we waited for the end result of the fee’s investigation.

“However very a lot lower than the 24 hours that it voluntarily undertook to probe the doubtful course of within the LGAs acknowledged, the Returning Officer of the election, Professor Johnson Urama out of the blue assembled brokers, media and officers on the INEC Workplace in Lokoja and started asserting ends in such a rush that any discerning observer will agree that INEC is bent on foisting a fait accompli on the candidates of the election by executing a predetermined agenda to introduced because the winner, the APC candidate, Mr.Usman Ododo who clearly misplaced this election, with all of the info and figures at our disposal.

“We’re shocked that INEC can so overtly betray no matter little belief and confidence Nigerians nonetheless reserve for it after a sequence of scandals bordering on electoral heists and broad daylight theft of the desires of the individuals.

“How on earth can a fee that’s legally empowered to cancel outcomes confirmed to have emerged from overvoting eagerly rush to embrace and reward what’s an electoral crime?

“It’s clear on I-rev that the full outcomes of 268,390 rising from Adavi, Okehi and Okene are clearly above the full variety of BVAs accreditation which stands at 94, 233! The votes right here had been clearly nearly doubled.

“The votes right here had been clearly nearly doubled. Similar sloppy heist occurred in Ajaokuta and a part of Bassa LGA. INEC has the file. The entire world can also be aware of this file.

“The Federal Authorities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did its finest to ensure a stage enjoying floor by averting nearly, completely, the safety menace to the voters brazenly orchestrated by the state Governor Mr Yahaya Bello however INEC has completely thrown the individuals of Kogi State into mourning by its conduct.

On this regard, we’re calling on INEC to instantly stop asserting the outcomes forthwith till it has cancelled these areas that its prison employees collude to rig the votes in favour of 1 candidate as uncovered by I-rev.

“The continuing tragedy on the fee’s workplace in Lokoja known as collation and announcement of outcomes have to be disbanded instantly till credibility is restored to the method.

“We earnestly pray that INEC which ought to be the guard of our democracy, won’t in the end be the rationale our residents lose religion in one of the best type of authorities the world has ever recognized.”