Citing lessons learned from the 2023 Kogi State governorship election and recent events surrounding Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall, the Kogi State Social Democratic Party, or SDP, has voiced serious concerns and a lack of trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC.
Isaiah Davies Ijele, the press secretary for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi State, revealed this in a statement on Friday.
Ijele said, “Our party notes with dismay that INEC proceeded to declare election results without following the stipulated procedures, particularly regarding the actual accredited voters, despite INEC’s previous statements to investigate and prosecute electoral offenders in Kogi State and to cancel election results from Okene, Okehi, Adavi, Ajaokuta, and Ogorimangogo local government areas.”
“This raises serious questions about INEC’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring free and fair elections.”
The Kogi State opposition Social Democratic Party also emphasized the purported contradiction in INEC’s statements concerning the recall petition for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“The commission initially declared the petition as not meeting the required standards, only to reverse its position within a short period. This erratic behavior undermines public trust and fuels suspicion of manipulation.
“We call on all lovers of democracy worldwide to closely monitor the situation in Kogi State. The SDP questions how INEC could have confirmed the signatures of nearly 208,132 individuals, a figure that almost doubles the total number of voters in that election.
“The SDP is deeply concerned about INEC’s demonstrated incompetence in past elections and will not fold our hands while the commission attempts to repeat its past mistakes to the detriment of Kogi citizens,” the statement added.
