Preliminary report on the INEC declared inconclusive kogi state gubernatorial election of November 21, 2015
In obeisance to the mood of the nation, the Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM), condoles and commiserates with the good people of Kogi state, the immediate Abubakar Audu family members, relations, friends, his party, APC loyalists and supporters in particular and the Nigerian people in general over the sad, irreplaceable and untimely demise of Prince Abubakar Audu, the APC flag bearer in the November 21, 2015 Kogi state gubernatorial election, it is our fervent prayer that, may almighty Allah, grant him eternal rest.
We commend the Kogi state electorate for trooping out in sizable numbers on election day to exercise their franchise in a peaceful and orderly manner which goes a long way to enhance and deepen our democracy.
We as well commend the political parties and their supporters for keeping the peace before, during and after the election, as well as following the announcement of the inconclusiveness of the election by INEC.
We equally commend the media and the local and international observers for their responsibility and professionalism in carrying out their statutory duties.
We also commend the security agencies for being responsible, professional, patriotic and impartial in the discharge of their constitutional responsibility, before, during and after the INEC declared inconclusive Kogi state gubernatorial election. However, we note with concern, their absence in some areas in which election were disrupted by criminals and call on the security agencies top hierarchy to interface properly with INEC on logistics and mapping of polling units in order to prevent a reoccurrence during the supplementary election and subsequent elections.
We congratulate INEC and its ad hoc staff for their prompt, responsible, unbiased and professional conduct of the Kogi state gubernatorial elections. We are indeed glad that this performance by INEC is a marked improvement over its previous conduct of previous elections. We were very happy to note the prompt arrival of INEC personnel and materials at most polling units all over the state. From reports gathered from the field and other sources, in most polling units scattered across the state, INEC personnel arrived as early as 8am and this to us, is commendable.
We were happy to note that the neglible cases of malfunctioning e-card reader at some polling units were promptly addressed by the commission technical experts. It gladdened our heart to observe that in polling units where INEC staff were assaulted to jettison the use of functioning card reader by lawless individuals and gangs, such election was out rightly cancelled unlike the situation in the immediate past 2015 general elections in which people took the law into their hands by insisting on non use of the e-card reader in violation of the rules of INEC as witnessed in Akwa Ibom and Rivers states gubernatorial election in the 2015 general elections in which questionable results were announced by the commission.
We equally want to commend the federal government for its civility, patriotism and responsibility in the conduct of the Kogi state gubernatorial election through the deployment of only internal security machinery unlike its immediate predecessor who militarized our democracy by deploying forces and weapons of war without identification and in hoods in order to carry out duties other than engendering democracy.
We also note with happiness that unlike its immediate predecessor, the present federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari did not lay siege on Kogi state by undermining and assaulting democracy through sporadic and unprovoked shootings, indiscriminate arrest, detention, brutalization of political opponents before and during the election by the security agencies unlike the situation as witnessed under the expired Goodluck Jonathan administration in the Ekiti and Osun states gubernatorial elections in 2014.
As we await the next line of action from INEC with regards to the conclusiveness of the Kogi state gubernatorial election through the conduct of a supplementary election in some polling units across the state, we want to admonish all the stakeholders to continue to be responsible, maintain peace, civility and orderliness for the good of our democracy and society.
Thanks.
Yours Sincerely,
Nelson Ekujumi
Executive Chairman
