Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
The Kogi State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the people of the state to be wise and not allowed themselves be used by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration especially their latter’s snap their votes and get paid antics as the state moves closer to next Saturday bye-election in Lokoja/Kotonkarfi area of the state.
In a statement signed by a chieftain of the PDP, Kabiru Mohammed, it described the ‘evil plot’ by the APC in the forthcoming coming Lokoja Kogi Federal Constituency bye-election to snap their ballot and be paid N10,000 as “a plan that is dead on arrival”.
The PDP statement reads, “The last three years of the APC led administration in the state is horrible, with poverty and hunger as the signpost of the administration, and we wondered how it will now turnaround to cajole the people with paltry sum.
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“We called on security agencies and the INEC to ensure the sanctity of the ballot, as it is an electoral crime for the APC led administration to demand a snap of the ballot as receipt for payment.
“We also called on the electorates not to be hoodwinked into the APC satanic plot as we wonder the downturn affecting the nations electoral system since the coming of the APC government,” the statement added.
The PDP advised the APC-led administration to forget the Lokoja Kogi federal constituency bye-election, noting that it is late to deceive the people who in the last three years have been badly bruised and wounded.
The PDP tasked the electorates to be more than vigilant, vote and protect their votes, pointing out that no law allows electorates to vote and snap their votes.
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Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured of free, transparent and credible bye-election.
This is just as the Commissioner of Police in Kogi State, Ali Janga, has warned against thuggery and urged leaders of all political parties to curb the use of youths as tools for political violence.
The INEC and the Police Commissioner spoke at a stakeholders meeting organized by the electoral commission in Hope Hotel Ltd, Lokoja, on Thursday.
The police boss said adequate security would be ensured throughout the exercise.
Speaking INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. James Apam stressed that only electorates with permanent voter’s cards would be allowed to vote.
Briefing newsmen shortly after the stakeholders meeting, Apam said: “We are now set for the conduct of the bye-election. The non-sensitive materials like ballot boxes, voting cubicles, generators and others have been received and sent to the two local government areas.
“The Registration Area Centres (RACs) where the ad-hoc staff are usually camped overnight have also been activated. We have also, held meetings with the relevant stakeholders and security agencies who are also prepared and have promised their co-operation to make the exercise a huge success thus we do not expect to have problems.
“In the same vein, all registered political parties are legible to field candidates, thus we have 9 candidates from Accord Party (AP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Democratic Alternative (DA), Labour Party (LP), Mega Party Nigeria (MPN), National Conscience Party (NCP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP),” he explained.