Governor Usman Ododo has been accused of converting the Kogi State Government House into polling stations and collation centres for the 21 local governments in the state in anticipation of the local council elections scheduled for this weekend.
OsunDailyNG reports that Saturday, October 19, was designated as the date for local government elections in Kogi State, as announced by the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC).
However, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged a notable absence of electoral activities even hours before the scheduled civic exercise.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday by Alhaji Tijani Aruwa, the PDP called on the public to dismiss the assurances provided by KOSIEC Chairman Mamman Eri regarding the promise of a transparent, free, and credible election, characterizing these claims as disingenuous and deceptive.
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.
