The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Kogi West District, Senator Smart Adeyemi, has protested the result of Saturday's election in the area in which the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dino Melaye, was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He has sent a petition to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, alleging irregularities.

In a statement by his Campaign Coordinator, Hon. Fehinti Dada, the Senator said PDP supporters and thousands of voters were harassed by APC thugs and, eventually, disenfranchised in Kogi Local Government.

In the senatorial district, there are seven local governments and Adeyemi was leading in six of the seven councils with more than 3,000 votes before the result in the seventh council, Kogi Local Government, was manipulated.

The statement reads: “The number of registered voters in Kogi Local Government is 42,473; number of accredited voters 21,451; total valid votes 17,989; rejected votes: 798; total votes cast: 18,787. This is for the senatorial election alone.

“However, 2,664 PDP voters were denied voting rights after they had been accredited. Other PDP voters were not allowed to be accredited, let alone voting. In fact, over 5,000 PDP supporters were not accredited. The APC saw that we already won the remaining six local governments with more than 3,000 votes. So, they started their rigging in Kogi Local Government.

“We won’t allow this injustice to stand because injustice to one is injustice to all. It is clear Senator Smart Adeyemi won this election but because of manipulation, intimidation, rigging and thuggery, a falsified result was declared in favour of the APC candidate as the authentic result. We will not allow this to stand.

“All those responsible for this injustice against the people of Kogi West Senatorial District must be brought to justice. Rigging is not part of our culture and, this time, we won't allow it to stand.”

•Photo shows Adeyemi

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