‘A new phenomenon of electoral malpractice,’ Smart Adeyemi rejects APC governorship primary in Kogi

The Senator representing Kogi West district, Smart Adeyemi, has faulted the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in the state.

The former Auditor-General for Local Governments in Kogi, Alhaji Ahmed Usman-Ododo, on Friday, won the APC governorship ticket in the state.

He polled 78,704 votes to beat Adeyemi and five other aspirants in the exercise.

The lawmaker scored 311 votes to finish in seventh position in the election.

Adeyemi, who addressed journalists at a news conference on Saturday in Abuja, described the process as “a new phenomenon of electoral malpractice in Nigeria.”

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.

READ ALSO: Yahaya Bello’s ally, Usman-Ododo, picks APC governorship ticket in Kogi

“If there was an 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 challenged the APC leadership and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kogi to explain to Nigerians if a 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) and even the panel that was to conduct the election was there.

“The chairman of that panel, the Governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, by the constitution of the APC, was expected to announce the result.

“He came and we saw him. But Matawalle was not happy with the way and manner, so he left.

“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 to announce 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,” Adeyemi added.

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