The Kogi State Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, says the Independent National Electoral Commission is not prepared and capable of conducting a free, fair and credible 2019 elections, following what it says is the alleged release of ballot papers and original result sheets to the APC.
The spokesman of the PDP PCC in Kogi State, Austin Okai made the allegations in a press statement issued on Sunday in Lokoja following what he described as INEC compromise to rig the 2019 election in Kogi State, described Kogi INEC as a department of Kogi State Government House.
According to the spokesman, ” we have it on good authority that until the postponement Kogi INEC had given out ballot papers to the APC in the state through the state governor.
” We make bold to say that while INEC delivered the electoral materials to government house, where the governor also took turn to hand them over to all the aspirants.
” A case in point was that of Kabba Bunu LGA where the materials were handed over to the house of representative candidate for Kabba Bunu Ijumu federal constituency. We can reliably say that the ballot papers were thumb printed at a particular location in the GRA area of Kabba.
Another case that needs to be brought to the attention of the public was the thumb printing of ballot papers done by Hon. Sunday Faleke in Ayetoro gbedde.
The PDP PCC therefore wish to State that the INEC must show that it has the capacity to conduct a free, fair credible poll, because the people of Kogi state have lost confidence in the electoral body, having sold the integrity of the organization.
” Else how can one justify the fact that twelve boxes of ballot papers said to have been sent to Kabba Bunu LGA ended up with having only three genuine ballot boxes as authentic with the remaining nine ones made up of dummies and not ballot papers.
We in the PDP PCC therefore ask the INEC to come out and prove that it has the capacity to conduct a credible and acceptable poll. The name of INEC Kogi state is already in the mud, and the electoral body would need to come out clear.
But we wish to make it clear to Kogi State INEC that it would end up making itself a laughing stock if it thinks releasing ballot papers and original result sheets to APC would make the party win, as the lie of the century, because what we have in Kogi state now is a case of the people having already rejected the APC led administration in Kogi state and have embraced the PDP where it feels it future can be guaranteed.
Meanwhile all effort to speak with INEC and APC in the state to respond to the allegations proved abortive as they could not be reached on phones.
