The coalition of All Progressives Congress (APC) support groups in Kogi state has called for the total cancellation of the governorship primaries held in the state and the conduct of a new poll.
In a press briefing in Lokoja on Saturday, the coalition disagreed with the results of the governorship primaries, alleging that it was pre-arranged by the state government and some group of party leaders in the state.
The coalition Chairman, Isah Mohammed and Secretary, Onimisi Salami, threatened to challenge the outcome of the primary election in the court of law, insisting that the process was not credible.
The group noted that they have been compelled to address the press conference following the just concluded governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress in Kogi state which cannot be said to be credible and transparent.
“As far as we are concerned, the process was not only a rape on democracy, but also a complete charade orchestrated by enemies of democracy to achieve their selfish goals in a desperate attempt to impose an unpopular candidate against the wishes of the masses.
“To our shock and amazement, our worst fears were confirmed, as the electoral process was completely hijacked across the state by the state government.
“Thousands of party members in the 21 local government areas of the state trooped to all the wards early enough on Friday to exercise their rights. They waited for hours under the sun till the sunset without sighting any official.
“Some of the wards we visited within Lokoja metropolis we met anxious people that were angry at the absence of persons that would coordinate the elections. It is similar report we got from our members from across the state.
“The election materials distributed at the local government headquarters were hijacked by government officials and party leaders, who went on to fill out funny figures and return them to the returning officers as results from the wards.
“We are calling on the national working committee (NWC) of the party to get involved and declare all results null and void.
“The National Working Committee should, as a matter of urgency, step in and save our party from this embarrassing situation, one that is capable of eroding public confidence on the party and its leadership.
“We also demand immediate cancellation of the so-called results being announced as they are figures cooked up by shameless persons who have no credibility and popularity to withstand free and fair contest. We reiterate that no primary election has taken place anywhere in Kogi State and it is therefore impossible to declare any result.
“The party executives at the wards and local government levels should be immediately disbanded as they have demonstrated their bias and showcased that they cannot be fair and just to all party members,” the group said.
Kogi State APC Primary Election Committee has on Saturday declared Ahmed Usman Ododo the winner of the poll.
According to the secretary of the committee, Hon. Patrick Obahiaghon, Ododo scored 78, 704 votes to beat six other contestants.
