INEC TO CONDUCT FRESH ELECTIONS ON NOV 18 IN 59 KOGI POLLING UNITS
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According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), there will be new polls in 59 polling places within the state’s Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area.
The election umpire has declared that a new election will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2023.
This was revealed in a statement on Sunday night by Mohammed Haruna, the national commissioner for INEC.
As of Sunday night, the election results from 18 of Kogi State’s 21 local government units had already been tallied.
As of right now, the following LGAs have released their results: Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ankpa, Bassa, Dekina, Idah, Ijumu, Kabba/Bunu, Kogi, Mopa-Muro, Olamaboro, Ofu, Okehi, Omala, Ogori/Magongo, Okene, and Yagba East and Yagba West.
The University of Nigeria’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Johnson Urama, the State Returning Officer, is anticipating the results of the Lokoja, Ibaji, and Igalamela-Odolu Local Government Areas.
Thus far, there is a close contest between Usman Ododo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Murtala Ajaka, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Party (ADC) and Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are two more formidable candidates in the race, in addition to Ajaka and Ododo, who served as Governor Yahaya Bello’s former Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi.
Melaye had on Saturday, raised the alarm over “filled result sheets” in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the North Central state. The PDP candidate also called for the suspension of the exercise over violence and vote buying. INEC subsequently suspended election in nine wards in the local government area.
Why Fresh Elections?
In its statement on Sunday, INEC said it received an update from Kogi regarding the suspension of election in some locations in the state where result sheets were completed before the commencement of voting.
“The most critical incident occurred in nine out of 10 Wards in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area (LGA),” the statement added.
“We received reports of similar and other incidents in Adavi (5 Polling Units in Okunchi/Ozuri/Onieka Ward), Ajaokuta (5 Polling Units in Adogo Ward), Okehi (1 Polling Unit in Eika/Ohizenyi Ward) and Okene (5 Polling Units in Obehira Uvete Ward). Results from the affected Polling Units have been accounted for in Form EC40G for the four LGAs.
“However, in the case of Ogori/Magongo LGA, only the result of Oshobane Ward II with eight Polling Units and 2,264 registered voters has been collated. Election in the other nine Wards (Eni, Okibo, Okesi, Ileteju, Aiyeromi, Ugugu, Obinoyin, Obatgben and Oturu) involving 59 Polling Units and 15,136 registered voters remain suspended.
“In line with Section 24(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 and Clause 59 of INEC Regulations and Guidelines on the Conduct of Elections 2022, a fresh election will be held on Saturday 18th November 2023 in the affected Polling Units.”
INEC said its decision to hold fresh elections is subject to the returning officer’s determination of the application of the Margin of Lead Principle. “However, this decision is without prejudice to our avowed commitment to follow the audit trail of personnel and materials to ascertain those who may have been complicit in undermining the process and apply appropriate sanctions where necessary.”
The Commission assured Kogi voters that their votes will continue to count.
Like Kogi, governorship elections were held in Bayelsa State and Imo State on Saturday with Governor Hope Uzodimma of the APC defeating Samuel Anyanwu of the PDP, Labour Party (LP)’s Nneji Achonu, and 15 other opponents. Uzodimma polled 540, 308 votes to defeat his closest rivals, PDP’s Anyanwu, who scored 71,503 votes and LP’s Achonu who got 64,081.
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