Truth is power. It is potent enough to reveal falsehood no matter how perfect the lie was crafted. This is apt when we look at the just concluded senatorial election in Kogi West.
The truth, as more and more persons are getting to know is that the purported winner of the said election, Hon. Dino Melaye, perpetrated a lot of electoral fraud to get the unlawful mandate. It is incumbent on truthful persons to reveal what happened during the last elections for the whole world to know. This is a moral obligation.
The results as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, allotted 41,120 votes to Dino Melaye, 38,148 votes to Smart Adeyemi and 26,198 votes to Samuel Aro.
But with undeniable evidences, actual and lawful votes should be; 36,423 for Smart Adeyemi and 33,663 votes for Dino Melaye. This will be proved beyond doubt at the election petition tribunal going on in Lokoja presently.
I will present two documents as part of the evidences to show how votes were manipulated by Dino Melaye and his agents. These are a few particulars of some of the many fraud perpetrated by Dino Melaye and his cronies, at different collation centres across the Senatorial District.
It has been established that the results from various polling units did not tally with that of the local government collation centre. The figures were altered in favour of Dino as you can see from the results presented below.
Election Result Sheet – Koton Karfe
Election result sheet – Ijumu
The bulk of the fraud was perpetrated in Koton karfe LGA, where over 3, 000 votes were unlawfully and fraudulently added to Dino’s votes. Same happened in Ijumu LGA, where the figures were altered at the collation center, in favour of Dino.
Recall that it was reported on several news platforms that Senator Smart Adeyemi was in an early lead with over 3000 votes before the contentious and fraudulent results from Koton karfe emerged. These are obviously doctored results from just a few LGAs.
Senator Smart Adeyemi is urging the court to declare him winner having scored the highest number of valid and lawful votes. The case is currently before a National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in lokoja.
Recall that Dino was initially evading the service of court processes until the Tribunal granted an order for substituted service, to the Petitioners. However, Dino has employed every considerable trick in the book, to ensure that the petition is thrown out. Unfortunately for him, all his antics have been unproductive.
At the pre-hearing of the Tribunal, the request of Smart Adeyemi’s counsels was granted to bring all election materials used and unused be brought to the Tribunal for safe keep and verification. The petition was adjourned till 9th June for further hearing.
Opeyemi Duke was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Committee
