Swear By Quran That You Were Unaware Of Electoral Fraud In Kogi - Melaye Challenges INEC Chairman, Yakubu

 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), candidate in Kogi, Sen Dino Melaye has asked the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, to swear by the Quran to prove his lack of awareness about electoral malpractices in the just concluded gubernatorial polls in the state.

Melaye who secured the third position in the Kogi governorship election, has consistently asserted that the INEC chairman played a role in his electoral defeat.

Channels TV’s Politics Today on Monday, November 13, 2023, characterized the election as disgraceful and maintained that Yakubu was a significant impediment to Nigeria’s democracy.

He said, “As I speak to you, I am completely ashamed that INEC had an opportunity to correct their deliberate mistakes in the last presidential election, but instead, they have decided to compound the worries of Nigerians over our democratic process. What we saw yesterday was not a democracy. Mahmood Yakubu is the bane of the democratic development in the country, and he is incapable of being a repentant soul.”

On Saturday, during the ongoing electoral process, the commission declared the suspension of the process in nine wards. This decision came after receiving reports of prefilled result sheets at certain polling units within those areas.

In a statement signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the National Commissioner and Member of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the electoral body confirmed that its findings pointed to electoral malpractices taking place in Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene Local Government Areas.

“The incidences in the other Local Government Areas are being thoroughly investigated, and the outcome, including the way forward, will be announced in the next 24 hours,” the statement read in part.

Despite its earlier announcement of suspending the process to investigate irregularities in the affected areas, INEC proceeded to declare the final result and announced Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election.