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Tag: Kogi State

  • APC guber primary was rigged to favour Ododo – Smart Adeyemi

    APC guber primary was rigged to favour Ododo – Smart Adeyemi

    One of the aspirants of the  All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Kogi state, Senator Smart Adeyemi has explained that the guber primary election conducted by the party was a charade.

    Adeyemi said that the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello influenced the primary election in favour of Ahmed Usman Ododo, a former Auditor General for Local Governments in the state.

    Adeyemi made these claims while Speaking on Arise Television on Monday morning, claiming that electoral materials were shared to local government chairmen in the state who privately rigged the election to favour Ododo.

    According to Adeyemi: “There was no voting, we were at our unit and there was no voting. They took materials from Abuja and went to their closet to thump print. INEC and its officials were not present.

    “We were at our various wards talking to each other only to hear the announcement of results at about 2pm.

    “Ododo is the cousin brother of Yahaya Bello, there was no election. In my district, three of us bought the form and 24 hours to the election, two others were asked to step them.

    “When the result was announced, Bello was seated there with no other aspirant other than Ododo. This is the worst form of rigging, I never believed this kind of thing can happen in the Nigeria of 2023.

    “APC will have to decide if they want a candidate for the next election.

    “The governor of a state is the leader of a party in that state, so he can’t run away from this.”

  • BREAKING: Dino Melaye wins Kogi PDP governorship ticket

    BREAKING: Dino Melaye wins Kogi PDP governorship ticket

    Sen. Dino Melaye has been declared the winner of the People’s Democratic Party governorship primary in Kogi state.

    Sen. Melaye in a Congress held at Kefas Multipurpose Hall, pulled over fifty percent of the votes cast.

    He polled over 313 votes to beat his closest rival Barr. Kabiru Usman who had  124 votes.

    The primary election went on smoothly with the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission personnel.

    Dino Melaye is a Nigerian politician, a former senator, and was a member of the 8th Nigerian National Assembly, representing Kogi West Senatorial district.

    He is from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

    Check Out Results Below
    Dino Melaye 313
    Ilona IDOKO 124
    Yomi Awoniyi 77
    Musa Wada 56
    Attai Idoko 10
    Ojaja Gideon 5
    Haruna Abdulahi 4
    Bolufemi Rotimi 2

  • Kogi Guber: Arch Dauda Isah emerges APM’s flagbearer

    Kogi Guber: Arch Dauda Isah emerges APM’s flagbearer

    Ahead of the Kogi guber elections coming up later in the year, Arch Dauda Isah has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).

    Isah polled 69 votes to emerged the winner of the primary election held at APM Secretariat in Lokoja with a heavy security presence.

    The election was strictly  monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), returning officer Oyadeji Ayodele Adebayo.

    Speaking shortly after his election, the flagbearer of APM, said the party is determined to rescue Kogi State from bad leadership.

    He described the exercise as peaceful, expressing optimism that APM will take over Lugard House during the  governorship election in Kogi State.

    INEC has fixed the Kogi gubernatorial elections for November 11, 2023.

     

  • Sen. Adeyemi faults Kogi APC primary election

    Sen. Adeyemi faults Kogi APC primary election

    Sen. Smart Adeyemi (APC-Kogi), one of the aspirants for the governorship election in Kogi has faulted the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in the state.

    He made this known during a news conference in Abuja on Saturday.

    Adeyemi, who represents Kogi-West Senatorial District, expressed disappointment at the conduct of the exercise, and described it as “a new phenomenon of electoral malpractice.”

    Adeyemi serves presently as the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    He said: “We witnessed a new phenomenon of electoral malpractices and embedded corruption in the electoral process of our country.

    “I have heard of riggings of elections but I have not heard of the new phenomenon which we must do all we can to stop in this country.

    “The governorship primary election was scheduled for yesterday (Friday). As expected, all of us were in our various wards.

    “What we heard was that election was already announced. Results were prepared, even before the commencement of voting.

    “Announcements were made and I was taken aback. This is the worst malpractice; the worst form of rigging and unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.

    “If there was election and it was rigged, we will know it was rigged, but where there was no election at all, and for someone to have the audacity to write result and went ahead to announce it.”

    He said further that the National Secretariat of the APC and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kogi must be prepared and explain to Nigerians, if primary election was ever held in the state.

    “The primary election was not conducted. All of us mobilised our members. Behold non of the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nor even the panel that was to conduct the election was there.

    “The chairman of that panel, the Gov. of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, was the one that by the constitution of the APC, was to announce the result.

    “He came we saw him, but Matawalle  was not happy with the way and manner, so he left,” Adeyemi said.

    Continuing, he added, “By the constitution of APC, if the chairman of the panel fails to announce the result, the secretariat is supposed to send another chairman, not the secretary announcing the result.

    “There is a guideline, but the secretary went ahead, and announced the result. The primary election in Kogi was just allocation of votes.”

    APC had declared the former Auditor General for Local Governments in Kogi, Alhaji Ahmed Ododo, as the winner of its governorship primary election in the state.

    Secretary of the Kogi State APC Primary Election Committee, Mr Patrick Obahiagha, who announced the results, declared Ododo as the winner of the election and emergence as the party’s flag-bearer for the Nov. 11 election.

    Obahiagha who made the declaration, said Ododo polled 78,704 out of the 83, 419 total valid votes cast in the primaries.

    He was said to have defeated Salami Momodu, who scored 1, 506, coming far behind Shaaibu Abubakar-Audu, polling 763 votes; and Prof. Stephen Ocheni, 552.

    “Dr Sanusi Ohiere polled 424, while Sen. Adeyemi, scored 311 votes.”

    Eight other aspirants, including the deputy governor of the state, Mr Edward Onoja, stepped down for Ododo.

    The others are a former Commissioner for Finance, Mr David Adebanji-Jimoh, Asiwaju Ashiru Idris and Mr Okala Yakubu.

    ”Also on the list were Mr Abdulkareem Asuku, Chief of Staff to Gov. Bello and the state’s Accountant-General, Mr Momoh Jibrin.

  • Primary election: PDP aspirants in Kogi cry foul over delegates list

    Primary election: PDP aspirants in Kogi cry foul over delegates list

    A former deputy governor and governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi, Mr Yomi Awoniyi has rejected the delegates list for the party’s primary election scheduled for Sunday.

    Some other aspirants joined Awoniyi in rejecting the delegates list.

    The aspirants made their position known at a news conference held in Lokoja on Saturday.

    Present at the media briefing were some leaders, stalwarts and party chairmen from the seven local government areas of Kogi west senatorial district.

    Awoniyi told the news conference that the delegates list produced at the March 29 and April 8 ad-hoc and delegates’ congresses in the district had been manipulated to favour a particular aspirant.

    “We are calling this meeting to address the great anomalies that have come to the fore regarding the PDP’s primary election slated for Sunday.

    “With me here are photocopies of the authentic delegates list, which had been duly certified by INEC as the result of what transpired on March 29 at the PDP congress in Kogi.

    “We have copies of the delegates list for the 21 local government areas and the entire 239 wards across the state supported by the state’s PDP executives,’’ he said

    He emphasised that the congresses were witnessed by INEC, the police, the Department of State Services and other security agencies, after which INEC wrote a report as to how the congresses went.

    Awoniyi, who was Director-General, Atiku/Okowa Campaign Council in Kogi, noted that the entire delegates list in Yagba West and Ijumu Local Government Areas had been replaced in favour of a particular aspirant.

    He added that 31 names out of 45 names of delegates were removed and replaced in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.

    He said that a total of 158 legitimately-elected delegates had been replaced by strange people who did not participate in the congress.

    “We, as members and governorship aspirants of the PDP will like to draw the attention of the world to this anomaly.

    “It is trite to say that while the party sets up guidelines for due process and the process is adhered to; it is unreasonable to have the same party jeopardising the same process by importing strange names into the delegates list,’’ he said.

    Awoniyi charged that there was a grand design to skew the list in favour of a particular aspirant, and other aspirants would not stand by as they had worked so hard for the party.

    “We are a party that is bound by laws, and we live in a country that is bound by laws.

    “There will be serious and grave consequences for the PDP if the approved delegates list is not used.

    “We can assure the party of this because nobody can make a fool of us,’’ Awoniyi stressed.

    Also speaking, Dr Bolufemi Rotimi, another frontline aspirant, said there would be grave consequences if the approved delegates’ lists from ward to state level, as submitted by the state’s PDP chairman, is set aside.

    “Failure not to use the authentic list will result into total cancellation of the whole process.

    “We will not tolerate it because one man cannot be an island to us. We all paid the same fees for Nomination and Express of Interest forms and we went through the screening process.

    “If they forge any list on Sunday for the primary election, there is going to be serious crisis.

    “Let nobody underrate the word `crisis’ because we mean business.  We will help them to bury PDP finally in Kogi if they refuse to use the authentic list,’’ Rotimi charged.

    On his part, Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf, a PDP senatorial candidate for Kogi West, described the manipulated delegates list as a total shamble and horrible with the intention to commit fraud.

    He noted that names of many people who are not members of the PDP were added to the manipulated list to favour a particular aspirant.

    Yusuf, a three-term House of Representative member representing Kabba/Bunu-Ijumu constituency, said his name was initially removed from the delegates list.

    He urged the party’s leadership to do the right thing, warning that the consequences of doing otherwise would be so unbearable for PDP in Kogi.

  • We have never contemplated suspending Dino Melaye – Kogi PDP

    We have never contemplated suspending Dino Melaye – Kogi PDP

    The Kogi State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has come out to distance itself from statement flying around that it has suspended Senator Dino Melaye.

    This was made available via a statement signed by the State Secretary of the Party, Farouk Yahaya, he said the party never contemplate  suspending the former lawmaker.

    Yahaya, in the statement, warned trouble and mischief makers who are bent on causing a crisis in the PDP to desist, pointing out that the party remains focused going into the primary election.

    He urged members of the Party and the general public to discountenance the misleading information pointing out that it is fake news.

  • Female medical doctor joins Kogi governorship race

    Female medical doctor joins Kogi governorship race

    Dr Atule Ahmadu-Afolabi, a female aspirant on Wednesday joined the November Kogi governorship race on the platform of the Labour Party (LP).

    Ahmadu-Afolabi a medical doctor, told newsmen shortly after picking her nomination forms at the party secretariat in Abuja, that her focus was to harness the economic potential of the state.

    “My main focus is to ensure that Kogi is economically viable through selfless services and Labour Party as we know, is a social democratic party.

    “The party carry’s along professionals, women farmers and everybody, to ensure that there is food for us to eat.

    ”In Kogi state right now, if you are driving around the state you could see hunger physically on faces of people and that has to change, that is why I am here to change the narrative for good.

    “You all know that It is evidently clear in Kogi state that salaries are being paid in percentile and that is absolutely inhuman, you don’t expect people to come to work for 30 days without salary being paid? It is undemocratic,” she said.

    Ahmadu-Afolabi said that as a mother, her target was to ensure that no Kogi resident went to sleep on empty stomach.

    She also promised to turn around the healthcare service in the state for the better, pledging to establish and equip hospitals to ameliorate the plight of Kogi residents.

    She also promised to reinvigorate the civil service in the state toward effective and efficient service delivery, saying that the LP would change the narrative of suffering in the state specially in the civil service by ensuring prompt salary payment.

    Ahmadu-Afolabi promised to work with youths, empower them and create employment opportunities for them.

    She promised to involve traditional rulers in community affairs and make them accountable for their youths to reduce the crime rate in the state and make youths would productive.

    Ahmadu-Afolabi called on all stakeholders to support her quest to be governor of Kogi for the good of the state.

  • Labour Party reduces nomination fee for Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa elections

    Labour Party reduces nomination fee for Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa elections

    Labour Party on Tuesday reduced its nomination fees for the off-circle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states from N25 million to N15 million.

    Mr Julius Abure ,National Chairman of LP, made this known while addressing newsmen after a meeting with its elected Senators and House of Representatives members in Abuja.

    Abure said that the decision was reached after consulting with the party’s national leader and the presidential candidate of the party, Mr Peter Obi .

    “We have reviewed all the complaints about the high costs of nomination fees by the party in terms of nomination forms for the governorship election in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states .

    “I am pleased to announce to you that the nomination fees has been reduced from N25 to N15 million.

    “We have always been a listening party, we believe that this party is propelled and owned by the people.

    “Therefore, for us ,the leaders of this party, we shall always ensure that we listen to the yearnings and aspirations of our people and provide leadership by example.”

    Abure said that the nomination fee paid by its aspirants in Imo, late Mr Humphrey Anumudu would be refunded to his family to show leadership of compassion and empathy that the party stood for.

    He said that LP had eight Senators and 34 House of Representatives members in the just concluded elections  and congratulated them for the victory.

    He said that the party just concluded a meeting between its national leadership and the Senate and House of Representatives members elect to continue to build synergy and working relationship amongst them.

    “We must put on record here that all those who were elected on the platform of the party either to the House of Representatives or as Senators are well responsible and dedicated to the party .

    “For us to continue to provide quality leadership, we will continue to consult and we believe that they are men of integrity, they are women of high repute .

    ” I am sure they are also aware of the basis of which they were elected, they rode on the back of the people to the position where they are today,” he said.

    Abure said the party would build on the successes already recorded by the party to sustain the momentum and ensure that more Nigerians believed in the party.

    He sad the party’s legislators would provide quality leadership to the people and canvass alternative government policy as well as always identify with the cause of the people .

    He added that the party’s desire to take back the country and redeem the country from the shackles of poverty ,hunger, unemployment among others remain undaunted.

    “We shall continue to pursue these causes on behalf of Nigeria’s and we believe very strongly that the new Nigeria is still possible.

    “We use this opportunity to make it very clear that we will go after all those who stole the mandate that freely given to us by Nigerians on Feb. 25th and take them over lawfully .

    “These includes which was stolen alongside other mandates either at the level of states governorship or the level of state houses of assembly or the National Assembly.”

    Abure appreciated all Nigerians for the support the party enjoyed during the presidential ,governorship and House of Assembly elections especially those who lost their lives and wished the injured quick recovery.

  • APC suspends NWC member in Kogi over alleged anti-party activities

    APC suspends NWC member in Kogi over alleged anti-party activities

    A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee in Kogi, Mr Murtala Yakubu, has been suspended indefinitely with effect from Thursday.

    The Executive members of APC Ajaka Ward 1, Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi, suspended Yakubu on alleged anti-party activities among other offences.

    A suspension letter dated March 20, 2023, addressed to Yakubu and entitled: “Suspension of Your Membership From Ajaka Ward 1,” was signed by 27 members of the executive team of the ward, including the ex-officios.

    In the letter, the APC National Chairman, North Central Vice Chairman, Kogi  Chairman, Kogi East Zonal Chairman and the Party Chairman, Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of the state were copied and urged to endorse Yakubu’s suspension.

    The Chairman of Ajaka Ward 1, Omale Danladi and Secretary, Suleiman Abubakar who signed the letter, disclosed that the decision to suspend Yakubu was arrived at during a meeting of the whole executive team, held on March 17, in Ajaka.

    They further accused Yakubu of insubordination, gross misconduct, unguided statement, running parallel party structure and encouraging factionalism in the party, among other allegations.

    They noted that the suspension was with immediate effect.

    “Following the resolution of Ajaka Ward 1, Exco members held on 17th March in Ajaka, Ajaka-Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area, you (Yakubu) are hereby suspended from the membership of party in the Ward on  grounds of insubordination and gross misconduct.

    ”You are suspended due to your unguided statement demeaning the personalities of the founder of the party, Late Prince Abubakar Audu, and the Leader of the party in the state, Gov.  Yahaya Bello at different occasions;

    “Running parallel party structure and encouraging factionalism capable of creating division and racour among party loyalists since 2020.

    ”Anti-party activities too numerous to be mentioned, particularly, on Feb.  23  that you organised a parallel rally against the Presidential Campaign Council directive in Ajaka Ward 1 which embarrassed and demeaned the party.

    “The suspension is with immediate effect while we urge the state secretariat and National Secretariat to endorse our resolution with the necessary action,” the letter reads.

  • Police launch search for missing INEC officials in Kogi

    Police launch search for missing INEC officials in Kogi

    Police in Kogi have launched a search for six INEC officials attacked on Sunday at Obajana while conveying election results.

    Police rescued 96 victims comprising INEC officials, ad-hoc staff, bus drivers and others from the scene and took them to INEC headquarters in Lokoja

    Three injured victims were evacuated to the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, for treatment.

    Police spokesman in Kogi, SP Williams Ovye-Aya stated in Lokoja that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Yekini Ayoku, already ordered the deployment of operational and tactical assets to comb the area of the attack.

    “The police commissioner tasked his men to conduct thorough investigation that could lead to apprehending the miscreants and bringing them to deserved justice,’’ Ovye-Aya stated.

    He commended the gallantry displayed by police operatives who engaged the attackers in a gun duel and urged residents of the adjoining communities to report anybody seen with bullet wounds to the nearest security agency.

    “One good thing is that the police escort attached to the INEC team responded robustly and engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel.

    “A reinforcement of operatives deployed to the scene also engaged the attackers who had to flee with varying degrees of injuries,’’ Ovye-Aya stated.

    INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner and the NYSC coordinator in Kogi declined to respond to enquiries on the incident.