Kogi Rerun: INEC Makes A U-turn, Declares PDP Winner

Forum 8 years ago

Kogi Rerun: INEC Makes A U-turn, Declares PDP Winner

The Independent National Electoral Commission
on Monday reversed its earlier declaration that the
Kogi-Central senatorial rerun election was
inconclusive.


The electoral commission, which on Sunday,
declared the election as inconclusive, said on
Monday, that the candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party, Alhaji Ahmed Ogembe, won the
election.


INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Rotimi Ajayi, on
Monday, at Okene, the headquarters of the
senatorial district, said the presiding officers in
charge of the areas that were initially cancelled,
had copies of the results that were said to have
been destroyed by hoodlums during the election.
He stated that INEC officials later used the copies
with the presiding officers to compute the final
results, leading to the emergence of Ogembe as
the winner.


He stated that Ogembe got 46,503 votes to beat
the candidate of the Peoples Progressive Alliance,
Senator Nurudeen Abatemi, who scored a total of
32,169 votes while the Social Democratic Party
candidate, Dr. Wokili Moses, got 10,064 votes to
come third.


Ajayi said all the valid votes cast were 89,214
while 1,368 votes were rejected. He declared
Ogembe the winner of the election.


It will be recalled that the Returning Officer of
INEC, Mr. Salihu James, had said on Sunday that
Ogembe scored 45,468 votes while Abatemi
scored 31,163 votes and Wakili got 9,962 votes.
James had announced the cancellation of the
results of Otutu ward. He also announced the
cancellation of the results in two polling units at
Upogoro in Okene and Inozomi wards.


He subsequently declared the rerun inconclusive
following the cancellation of results in some areas
over alleged electoral malpractices.


Meanwhile, Ogembe has assured the people of the
district of his commitment to develop the district.
He said he would lobby the Federal Government
towards revamping the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill,
which he said had been abandoned since the past
30 years.


Speaking with journalists at the INEC office in
Okene, Ogembe, who is the incumbent Chairman
of Okene Local Government Council, said he knew
the basic needs of his constituency and would
attend to them.


He commended the people of Kogi-Central and
INEC for what he described as a free and fair
election, saying his victory reflected a popular
choice.