Kogi-Central: INEC makes a U-turn, declares PDP winner

Kogi-Central: INEC makes a U-turn,
declares PDP winner
Feb 23, 2016

The Independent National Electoral Commission
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday
reversed its earlier declaration that the Kogi-Central
senatorial rerun election was inconclusive.
The electoral commission, which on Sunday, declared the
election as inconclusive, said on Monday, that the candidate
of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Ahmed Ogembe,
won the election.
INEC Returning Officer, Prof. Rotimi Ajayi, on Monday, at
Okene, the headquarters of the senatorial district, said the
presiding officers in charge of the areas that were initially
cancelled, had copies of the results that were said to have
been destroyed by hoodlums during the election.
He stated that INEC officials later used the copies with the
presiding officers to compute the final results, leading to the
emergence of Ogembe as the winner.
He stated that Ogembe got 46,503 votes to beat the
candidate of the Peoples Progressive Alliance, Senator
Nurudeen Abatemi, who scored a total of 32,169 votes while
the Social Democratic Party candidate, Dr. Wokili Moses,
got 10,064 votes to come third.
Ajayi said all the valid votes cast were 89,214 while 1,368
votes were rejected. He declared Ogembe the winner of the
election.
It will be recalled that the Returning Officer of INEC, Mr.
Salihu James, had said on Sunday that Ogembe scored
45,468 votes while Abatemi scored 31,163 votes and Wakili
got 9,962 votes.
James had announced the cancellation of the results of
Otutu ward. He also announced the cancellation of the
results in two polling units at Upogoro in Okene and Inozomi
wards.
He subsequently declared the rerun inconclusive following
the cancellation of results in some areas over alleged
electoral malpractices.
Meanwhile, Ogembe has assured the people of the district of
his commitment to develop the district.
He said he would lobby the Federal Government towards
revamping the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill, which he said had
been abandoned since the past 30 years.
Speaking with journalists at the INEC office in Okene,
Ogembe, who is the incumbent Chairman of Okene Local
Government Council, said he knew the basic needs of his
constituency and would attend to them.
He commended the people of Kogi-Central and INEC for
what he described as a free and fair election, saying his
victory reflected a popular choice.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1572164243106823&set=a.1395680484088534.1073741827.100009397874789&type=3
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by Easyblaze