Senator Dino Melaye, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kogi State, has raised serious allegations of election malpractice, claiming that political enemies orchestrated a plan to ensure he secured a distant third position in the recent governorship election held last Saturday.
During a Channels TV interview on Monday, Melaye asserted that a clandestine meeting had taken place where it was decided that he must not secure the second position, as it would pose a threat. He went on to claim that the election was marred by over-voting in 17 out of the 21 local government areas (LGAs) in Kogi State.
Melaye expressed skepticism about the authenticity of the election results, stating that it was not a fair contest but rather an allocation of votes. Drawing parallels with other elections, he alleged that similar tactics were used in Kogi State, referring to it as the “exact same formula.”
Calling for the cancellation of the election, Melaye described the conduct as “shameful” during a press conference in Lokoja on Sunday. He criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not addressing the issues that arose from the previous presidential and governorship elections.
Similarly, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Muritala Ajaka, also criticized INEC, insisting that the election results were predetermined. Despite the official declaration by INEC’s returning officer, Prof. Johnson Urame, announcing Ahmed Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner with 446,237 votes, Melaye and Ajaka contested the credibility of the results, highlighting concerns about the fairness of the electoral process in Kogi State.
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