The Lokoja Local Government chairmanship candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Idris Sofada, has described the just conducted Local Government election conducted by the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC), as laughable and a total caricature of electoral process.
Sofada made this known in Lokoja on Saturday.
He described the whole exercise as a total charade, insisting that election only took place in 6 out of 273 polling units in Lokoja.
“It is laughable and embarrassing that KOSIEC, under the directive of the governor, shamelessly took election materials to only six poling units out of the 273 voting centres,” he said.
He said the macabre dance displayed on the electoral body was further exposed as the materials were only taken to the poling units of the APC candidate and his Vice.
“As a candidate of the SDP in Lokoja, election materials were not taken to my polling unit, my running mate did not see any material at his new primary school poling unit either. But election materials were hypocritically taken to Gbaude poling at Oworo, and Crowder units where the APC candidate and his running mate votes.
“The Speaker of the State Assembly, Umar Yusuf, the House of Assembly member from Lokoja 1, Shehu Ebaiya, the Director General Procurement to the state government, Sunday Ehimoni and APC Lokoja Local Government Chairman, Maikudi Bature, equally received voting materials in their Edoh, Ebaiya frontage, Karaworo and Angwan Kura (Shiek Babadoko) poling units respectively.”
“The total register voters from these poling units which is 3,686 only represent less than three percent of over 150,000 votes across the entire Lokoja Local Government Area.
“We are not oblivious of the fact that the election was not going to be rigged, we were only shocked that the Electoral body could be this naive in reducing electoral integrity to a mere playground for toddlers,” he said.
The SDP candidate, who rejected the outcome of the election, insisted that the exercise was merely a selection of another set of caretaker chairmen who did not pass through the electoral process.
“On the eve of the election, some of us (Candidates) were at the SIEC office to inspect election materials, but to our utmost dismay, the materials which should ordinarily be moved to their respective local government headquarters (RAC centers,) were in a commando style diverted and moved away towards the State Government House. At the process of moving the materials one of the vehicles conveying the election sensitive materials hits a commercial motorcycle rider to death,” he added.
Sofada urged the National Assembly to save the nation’s democracy, by expediting action towards the amendment of the Nigeria Constitution and allow all elections be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in order to save the third tier of government from the hands of governors.
