The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dino Melaye, rebuffed casting his ballot in the just-concluded Kogi State governorship election.
Melaye who is registered at polling unit 004, Iluafon quarters, Aiyetoro 1, Ijumu Local Government Area, in Ayetoro-Gbede, Kogi State.
He failed to show up at his polling unit situated at Iluafon quarters, Aiyetoro 1, Ijumu Local Government Area of the state.
Also read: Gov polls: CDD decries vote-buying, violence in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi
The PDP candidate alleged that result sheets have been prefilled and tampered with in all polling units located in Ogori/Magongo local government area of the state.
According to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, voting commenced around 8: 30 am in his polling unit and ended by exactly 2: 30 pm.
Melaye also claimed that there are massive protests in the units, as voters have refused to be accredited, insisting that the plain result sheets should be made available for the electorate in the area.
The former Kogi senator made these known in a short video posted on social media on Saturday morning as the off-season governorship election is ongoing in the state.
He urged the people to resist any form of malpractice that could scuttle their wishes as the people of Kogi.
“..is to show agents the result sheets and that the result sheets have been written. There is a massive protest in all polling units in Ogori/Mangogo local government of Kogi State right now,” Melaye said.
“The result sheets have been filled and tampered with already, and people have refused to accredit, people have refused to vote and they are insisting that the plain result sheets must be returned to agents in accordance with the electoral law.”
Melaye added, “If they refuse to show you result sheets in all polling units across the state, don’t accredit, don’t vote, protest and resist it. This is democracy. We must protect our votes, and protect the process. We must make sure that all the regulations are being observed and respected.”
According to report, Melaye boycotted the ongoing the Kogi election, which held across the 21 local government areas in the state.
It was gathered that the PDP candidate, who was in his country home, with some of his people stayed away from the exercise.
Melaye and the candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Leke Abejide, popularly referred to as “Elder” are the two major candidates gunning for the position of governor from the Kogi West Senatorial District.
According to report, Abejide who is a serving lawmaker, may affect Dino’s chances at the governorship polls.
Kogi West which Melaye hails has never produced a governor since the inception of the state.
Meanwhile, officials of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Department of State Services, DSS stormed the Polling Unit of Melaye.
About 1.8m registered voters will decide the next governor of Kogi state, which is widely regarded as the “confluence state.”
Though INEC says 18 governorship candidates will be contesting the elections today, observers suggested that the election will be keenly contested between Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress, Muritala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party, Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Party and Melaye.
Melaye seeks cancellation
Already, he has demanded the cancellation of the elections which were held in five Local Government Areas of the state.
According to him, the results in Okene, Okehi, Ajaokuta, Adavi, and Ogori/Mangogolocal government areas have been compromised
Posting via his official X account, Melaye said: “INEC must cancel the election in the 5 local governments of Kogi-Central. The election in Okene, Okehi, Ajaoukuta, Adavi, and Ogori/Mangogo is a scam coordinated from the highest level of INEC.”
