KogiDecides: Legal Practitioner writes INEC demands review of election results

Following the many controversies rocking the governorship election in Kogi State on Saturday 11th November 2023, the FADD Legal Officer, Oruma Ayuba Musa has written a letter to the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC demanding a review of election results.

In what he described as a “new normal”, in view of election results circulating all over Kogi Central Senatorial District, the FADD Legal Officer said it would mean that the electoral umpire was complicit if the results were not reviewed.

A copy of the letter which was made available to CAPITAL POST in Abuja reads:

15th November, 2023.

The Chairman,
Independent National Electoral Commission,
Abuja.

Dear Sir,

URGENT NEED TO REVIEW THE KOGI GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION.

This off-circle elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi, the first since the Supreme Court affirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has generated a lot of interest and thrown up new issues on the pre-filling of results sheets ahead of voting, particularly in Kogi State.

Unfortunately, INEC Headquarters, through its National Commissioner that covers Kogi is implicated in supervising this ill fated election in Kogi State, most likely for percuniary reasons.

This is the new thing that INEC Headquarters through its National Commissioner now determines outcome of election and not the voting on the field on election day.

The pre-filling of election results sheets is a new thing in Nigeria introduced first in Kogi State under the supervision of Prof Sani Muhammed Adam, SAN. This new development has woken us up from our slumber.

FADD monitored the Kogi REC, Professor John Longpet, closely to see whether he had capacity for fair play as an umpire, and didn’t find him unworthy. It was Prof John Longpet who saved INEC when the list that came from the ICT department from INEC Headquarters Abuja showed a preponderance of people from the Central Senatorial District (over 85%). Prof John Longpet responded to the protest by allowing people who registered online from Kogi East and were available in Lokoja to gate crash and be trained.

FADD notes that the vigilance of the general public has helped to improve the outcry of the people to the new issue of pre-filling of INEC result sheets in Kogi State. INEC Headquarters is clearly an interested party in the Kogi State gubernatorial election on November 11 2023.

FADD has reviewed and studied all the press statements from INEC since the commencement of the Kogi State gubernatorial election, the interviews of Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central Senatorial District and Senator Dino Melaye, the candidate of PDP in the gubernatorial election and wishes to observe as follows;

1. the report of allegation of pre-filling of result sheets is real.
2. in many polling units in some Local Government Areas, particularly Okene, Adavi, Okehi and Ajaokuta LGAs where BVAS were used for accreditation the number of alleged voters were in excess of the number of people who were said to have presented for accreditation, and INEC adhoc staff refused to cancel the election as provided by law (Section 51(2)), and this has created serious acrimony and tension in Kogi State.

3. The so called synchronisation
of accreditation figures for LGAs in Kogi Central Senatorial District alone, barring the West and East Senatorial Districts, on the IREV portal forty eight hours after the return of the election was made, and the reversion accreditation figures to what it was originally after public outcry, has further exposed the complicity of INEC Headquarters.

4. INEC promised to examine the allegation and has not produced any report on the findings but hurriedly made a return of same election.

RECOMMENDATIONS
A. INEC review the materials used for the election and cancel results in LGAs where it is established that pre-filling of INEC result sheets took place, or else INEC would have established precedence for future election conducted by INEC to become characterized by pre-filling of result sheets as the new normal.

B. INEC should step down the earlier return made by Prof Johnson Urama and investigate the BVAS records and ensure that section 51(2) is applied across board to all results from polling units across the State.

C. INEC should investigate how the original INEC result sheets got into the hands of politicians, and also determine if fake result sheets were also in circulation, or same person who prints for INEC was hired by Kogi politicians to print for them.

PRAYERS

FADD prays that the issue of pre-filling of INEC election result sheets should not be swept under the carpet by INEC under your leadership. INEC should condemn in strong terms the new innovation of printing or purchasing INEC election result sheets and pre-filling of same.

INEC should cancel the results of all the polling units that were manipulated and declare the candidate with the highest number of lawful votes as winner.

FADD assures you of the highest regards of its esteem.

Thank you very much, Sir.

Oruma Ayuba Musa Esq
Legal Officer, FADD