Kogi West PDP asks members to turn out for supplementary poll

Contrary to the view that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may boycott Saturday’s supplementary election in the Kigi West senatorial district, the party has directed its members to turn out enmass to vote for its candidate, Senator Dino Melaye.

Recall that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had on Sunday described an alleged threat by the PDP to boycott the election as silly joke.

Leadership of the PDP in Kogi West during an extra- ordinary meeting in Abuja on Monday resolved not only to participate in the election but to mobilise its members to turn out enmass without fear of intimidation to ensure victory for the party and its candidate.

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Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Bartister Kola Ojo, Zonal chairman, Kogi West PDP, said the though November 16 rerun election in the senatorial district fell far short of the minimum standards for credible elections worldwide, and will be legally contested by the party, members should not despair but be resolute in carrying out their civic responsibilities.

He said: “In view of the aforementioned, and without prejudice to the steps to be taken by the PDP to seek appropriate legal and constitutional redress, all members of the party in the areas where supplementary elections have been ordered by INEC, and the additional units we are canvassing for inclusion, are enjoined to remain resolute, committed and determined in ensuring the victory of the party by massively coming out to vote for the PDP in the said supplementary elections.

“Members of the PDP in Kogi West Senatorial District are resolutely committed to the return of Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye, who has proved his mettle in the upper chamber of the National Assembly”.

Reviewing the November 16 rerun, the Kogi West PDP leadership submitted that “the entire Kogi West Senatorial election results as announced by the electoral umpire ought to have been cancelled having regards to the unprecedented deployment of arms and ammunition, thugs, unholy collaboration of INEC, the Security Agencies and the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the entire electoral processes in negation of the Electoral Act, and INEC guidelines, is totally unacceptable and would therefore be challenged.

“The aforementioned position is informed by the facts that there were fundamental infractions in the conduct of the election in all the Local Government Areas of Kogi West Senatorial District characterised by uncontrolled shootings, wanton killing of innocent citizens, brazen use of Security Agencies to cow and intimidate members of the opposition in many units of the Senatorial District during which ballot boxes were carted away to the Kogi State Government House and illegally stuffed with already thumb printed ballot papers which were admitted by INEC as valid votes in affected units.

“Furthermore, collation and entry of concocted votes were carried out at the Government House and thereafter forced on the electoral officers for announcement at the various collation centres. This process is totally at variance with the NBC rules, guidelines, the Electoral Act and international best practices.

“Curiously, results emanating from these illegal processes were validated and announced by the electoral body instead of being cancelled”.

The party commended the people of Kogi West senatorial district for their resilience, commitment, doggedness and demonstration of capacity “in the face of unprecedented assault and aggression on the electorate by land and by air, by a combination of Governor Yahaya Bello’s police and the conventional police in all parts of Kogi State”.

In the interim, the PDP leadership in Kogi West strongly enjoined the INEC to as a matter of urgency, include all the areas that witnessed ballot box snatching, intimidation, aggression and gun shots  which rendered the so called collation of election results from such areas spurious, untenable and unacceptable, in the now ordered supplementary elections of Saturday 30th November 2019, as failure to do so will be tantamount to legitimizing the fraud that took place during the November 16th elections.

Also the party asked that INEC should put in place adequate, effective and responsive security measures that will engender an atmosphere devoid of fear, intimidation, aggression and other negative tendencies witnessed  before, during and after the curious and deceptively ordered supplementary elections.