The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that fresh elections would be held in 59 polling units in the state’s Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State.
According to the electoral umpire, a new election will be place next Saturday, November 18, 2023.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna revealed this in a statement issued late Sunday night.
As of Sunday evening, election results from 18 of Kogi State’s 21 local government districts have been compiled.
So far, results from Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ankpa, Bassa, Dekina, Idah, Ijumu, Kabba/Bunu, Kogi, Mopa-Muro, Olamaboro, Ofu, Okehi, Omala, Ogori/Magongo, Okene, Yagba East, and Yagba West LGAs have been declared.
The State Returning Officer, Prof. Johnson Urama, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, is awaiting the results of the LGAs of Ibaji, Igalamela-Odolu, and Lokoja.
Murtala Ajaka, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, and Usman Ododo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, are currently locked in a close contest.
Aside from Ajaka and Ododo, an ex-Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi under Governor Yahaya Bello, other significant contestants in the race include Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Party (ADC) and Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Melaye highlighted the issue of “filled result sheets” at the North Central State’s Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area on Saturday. The PDP candidate also demanded that the election be halted due to violence and vote-buying. INEC then stopped voting in nine wards in the local government area.
INEC said in a statement on Sunday that it had received an update from Kogi about the suspension of elections in some sites in the state where result sheets had been finalised prior to the start of voting.
“The most critical incident occurred in nine out of 10 wards in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area (LGA),” according to the report.
“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).” The results from the impacted polling units have been accounted for in Form EC40G for the four LGAs.
“However, in the case of Ogori/Magongo LGA, only the results of Oshobane Ward II with eight polling units and 2,264 registered voters have been collated.” Elections in the remaining 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, November 18, 2023, in the affected polling units.”
INEC stated that its decision to hold new elections is contingent on the returning officer’s finding 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 promised Kogi voters that their ballots would be counted.
Governorship elections were held in Bayelsa and Imo States on Saturday, with Governor Hope Uzodimma of the APC beating Samuel Anyanwu of the PDP, Nneji Achonu of the Labour Party (LP), and 15 other opponents. Uzodimma received 540, 308 votes, defeating his nearest challengers, PDP’s Anyanwu, who received 71,503 votes, and LP’s Achonu, who received 64,081.
