By Thompson Yamput
Lokoja, April 16, 2023/Naomi Sharang, Abuja, April 15, 2023
Mr. Adejo Okeme, a Legal Practitioner, on Sunday emerged the candidate of Labour Party (LP) for the Nov. 11 governorship election in Kogi State.
In the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dino Melaye, a former senator, Kogi West Senatorial District, was declared the winner of the primary election in Kogi while Alhaji Ahmed Ododo emerged the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adejo Okeme polled 127 votes to beat his closest rival AVM Isaac Alfa, who scored 69 votes at the primary held on Saturday in Lokoja, the state capital, through indirect mode.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the primary was held under the supervision of a 7-member Committee, led by Dr Ayo Olorunfemi, the party’s Deputy National Chairman.
Olorunfemi, who announced the result of the primary on Sunday morning, said a total of 196 delegates from the 21 LGAs of the state were accredited and voted for candidates of their choice.
The committee chairman said, “Okeme, having scored the majority of the lawful votes cast at the indirect primary election conducted on April 15, in Kogi, is hereby declared the winner of the Labour Party primary election 2023.
In his acceptance speech, Okeme thanked the electorate for finding him worthy to champion the cause of the party in the forthcoming Kogi Nov. 11 Governorship Election.
He also thanked the Primary Election Committee, party leaders and members for the peaceful conduct of the primary which led to his victory.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dino Melaye polled 313 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Idoko Ilonah, who got 124 votes in the Direct Mode primary election on Sunday in Lokoja.
The Chairman, PDP Primary Election Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, who announced the results, said that the primary was conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.
Maikarfi said other contestants in the race included Mohammed Kabiru who scored 121 votes, while Abayomi Awoniyi-Sunday scored 77 as Wada Musa polled 56 votes.
According to him, others are Ojaja Gideon-Enama with five votes and Olufemi Olarewaju two votes
The chairman also said that the election recorded six void votes.
“On behalf of the PDP primary election committee, I wish to congratulate Dino Melaye, the winner of the primary,.
I thank the state party leaders and members for their cooperation and support toward a peaceful primary election,” he said.
Patrick Obahiagha, Secretary of the Kogi APC Primary Election Committee, said that Ododo scored 78, 704 votes to beat six other contestants.
Obahiagha who announced the result of the governorship primary on Friday in Lokoja, said Salami Momodu got 1, 506 votes, Abubakar Yahaya-Ashemogu, 1, 159, and Shaaibu Abubakar-Audu, 763 votes.
He added that Stephen Ocheni garnered 552 votes, Sanusi Ohiere, 424, and Smart Adeyemi 311 votes.
Obahiagha said that out of the 93, 729 voters, 83, 419 who were accredited, voted for candidates of their choice.
“Ododo, having scored the majority of the lawful votes cast at the direct primary election conducted on April 14, 2023, in Kogi, is hereby declared the winner of the APC primary election 2023.
“Ahmed Usman-Ododo is hereby returned as the duly elected governorship candidate of APC for the November 2023 governorship election,” he said.
Obahiagha congratulated party leaders and members for the peaceful primary election.
The committee secretary also thanked Gov. Yahaya Bello, for making the democratic process possible.
Sen. Adeyemi dismisses process as fraudulent
By Naomi Sharang
Abuja, April 15, 2023
Meanwhile, Sen. Smart Adeyemi (APC-Kogi), one of the aspirants for the governorship election in Kogi has faulted the conduct of his party’s primary election in Kogi.
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 none 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.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 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 the winner of the election and the party’s flag-bearer for the Nov. 11 election.
