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Controversy Trails Declaration Of Kogi Assembly Election Results

By John Akubo, Lokoja
17 April 2015   |   11:23 pm
THE Returning Officer in charge of Igalamela/Odolu State Constituency election in last Saturday’s Assembly election, Muhammed Amana may have drawn the ire of some interest groups for announcing the winner of the election.

THE Returning Officer in charge of Igalamela/Odolu State Constituency election in last Saturday’s Assembly election, Muhammed Amana may have drawn the ire of some interest groups for announcing the winner of the election.

It was gathered that the Returning Officer was queried for announcing the winner of the election shortly after collation.

However the Returning Officer, who is also a Lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Idah, was alleged to have relied on a section of the Electoral Act, which empowers him to declare the winner of the election.

According to the result released, the winner of the election was said to have led the closest contestant with over 3,000 votes.

This was said not to have gone well with the vested interests who petitioned the Returning Officer to the Independent Electoral Commission office, Lokoja claiming that the election in the constituency was inconclusive.

INEC was said to have, in turn, summoned the Returning Officer to its office in Lokoja where he was allegedly reprimanded for announcing the result.

INEC action has been perceived as a dangerous step that may amount to compromising its avowed integrity as it was alleged that the Commission might have concluded plans to thwart the victory of the winner.

Aside this, it was learnt that the whole Assembly Election results in the state were shrouded in secrecy as the current Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Jacob Jatau has been severally accused of complicity.

Those spoken to over the issue said unlike the Presidential and National Assembly elections conducted by Alh Hussein Halilu Pai when results were transparently announced, the Assembly election results were a different ball game and even working Journalists in the state were kept in the dark.

For instance, the issuance of Certificates of Return to winners of the National Assembly election, which ‎took place yesterday in Lokoja, was done with preferential treatment for some media houses while others were turned away on the excuse that they were not invited.

One of the newsmen, who was bitter told The Guardian that the commission is fond of segregating newsmen that covers it’s assignment. To compound the whole issue, INEC officers who are supposed to feed Journalists with accurate information kept on giving contradictory information.

Meanwhile, a source close to the REC who did not want to be named, confirmed that the Returning Officer was indeed summoned to the office over the announcement of the result and said he may be prosecuted for violating certain Clauses of the Electoral Act.

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