Smart Adeyemi criticized APC primaries in kogi state

Senator Smart Adeyemi criticized the Kogi APC gubernatorial primary, stating that the results were available prior to the election.

The primary election was not conducted. All of us mobilised our members. Behold non of the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nor even the panel that was to conduct the election was there,

Smart Adeyemi

Patrick Obahiagbon, the secretary of the Kogi APC primary election committee, declared Ahmed Ododo as the winner of the governorship primary on Friday. Ododo, a former local government auditor-general in Kogi state, garnered 78,704 votes, surpassing six other contestants, including Adeyemi, who came in seventh place with 311 votes. It is believed that Yahaya Bello, the governor of the state, favored Ododo as the preferred candidate for governorship.

Adeyemi criticized the election’s management during a press conference held in Abuja on Saturday, alleging that the results had been prepared in advance of the actual election.

During the press conference, 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 senator added.

Smart Adeyemi narrates the event of the Gubernatorial primaries in Kogi State

Yesterday (Friday, 15th April 2023) was the scheduled date for the governorship primary election, and as expected, all candidates were present at their respective wards. However, to the shock of many, election results were announced even before voting began, leading to accusations of malpractice and rigging.Senator Adeyemi spoke out about the situation during a news conference, describing it as “the worst malpractice” and “the worst form of rigging” in Nigeria’s history. He pointed out that if an election was held and rigged, it would still be evident that it was rigged. However, in this case, there was no election at all, yet someone had the audacity to announce results that were supposedly prepared in advance.

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Adeyemi demanded that the APC’s national secretariat and the resident electoral commissioner in Kogi state explain whether or not an election was held, as none of the officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or the panel tasked with conducting the election were present.

The chairman of the panel, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state, was supposed to announce the results but left due to concerns about the process.

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.

Smart Adeyemi