Governor Usman Ododo has been accused of turning the Kogi State Government House into polling stations and collation centers for the upcoming local government elections across the state’s 21 local councils.
According to reports, the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) had scheduled the local elections for Saturday, October 19.
However, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged a significant lack of electoral activities just hours before the polls were set to begin.
In a statement released by Alhaji Tijani Aruwa on Saturday, the PDP urged the public to disregard assurances from KOSIEC Chairman Mamman Eri, who had promised a transparent, free, and fair election. The PDP labeled these claims as misleading and dishonest.
The party cautioned that those who expect Governor Usman Ododo to act differently from his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, should brace themselves for a harsh reality.
The PDP stated that “there are no visible signs of election preparations in the state, as all INEC offices across the 21 local governments, designated as venues for the arrival of sensitive materials for the local government elections, remain locked.”
The opposition party further alleged that all “Election materials have been moved to the Government House, where rigging operations have been ongoing for over a week. The party anticipates that the results of this ‘kangaroo arrangement’ will be announced later today, with only a few ballot boxes displayed for media coverage to mislead the public.”
The PDP urged the National Assembly to accelerate the process of the current local government reforms, highlighting that this is the sole means to guarantee that citizens have the opportunity to elect their representatives at the local government level.