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Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi, Dino Melaye, has rejected the conduct of the ongoing election in the state.

Leading reporters gathered Melaye, a former senator, failed to show up for voting at his polling unit in Kogi West.

But while speaking with journalists who had visited him at his residence, Melaye alleged that he voted but he refused to mention the polling unit where he cast his ballot.

He raised alarm of gross electoral malpractices by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says its “senior officials” are currently investigating the incident(s) of pre-filled election result sheets in Ogori/Magongo, Eika/Ohizenyi and some other areas of Kogi State.

Civil society organisation, YIAGA Africa, on Saturday morning, in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), raised the alarm that results sheets were filled in Kogi before the commencement of voting on Saturday.

Dear @inecnigeria we received report of pre-filled results sheet discovered in PU 004, Eni Ward of Ogori/magongo in Kogi state before commencement of voting. Kindly investigate and address this issue promptly to safeguard the integrity of the process.

YIAGA Africa also urged INEC to probe the matter and “promptly safeguard the integrity of the process”.

Similarly, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dino Melaye, raised the alarm about the incident in Ogori/Magongo, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of trying to compromise the election.

In a swift reaction, INEC said its officials are looking into the matter and a decision will be communicated “earnestly”.

“Our attention has been drawn to a report that filled result sheets were discovered in some polling units in Kogi State.

“The Commission views this situation seriously.

“Our senior officials deployed to the State are currently investigating the incident(s). The Commission will communicate its decision earnestly,” the commission said.

In Kogi, the total number of registered voters is 1,932,654 and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected is 1,833,160 with youths taking a lump 44% (850k) and the middle-aged having 32% (341K)

Eighteen candidates are in the contest in Kogi. Some of the top contenders in the November 11, 2023 poll in Kogi include Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Party (ADC); Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); and Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who is an ex-Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi under Governor Yahaya Bello.

Like Kogi, governorship elections are being held in Imo and Bayelsa states.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has secured victory at Community School, Obodo, Araimo ward in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State.

The party polled 77 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC), which trailed with 17 votes while Labour Party secured four votes.

Earlier when he cast his vote at polling unit 012, Ama Imo Community Primary School in Ikeduru LGA, Samuel Anynawu, PDP gubernatorial candidate, said he was hopeful of victory.

He said that if the election was largely peaceful, he would certainly emerge victorious at the end.

He said, “Honestly everything is getting calm. About in seven wards, ballot boxes have been carted away. That does not stop me from winning.

“INEC said that it will not count any votes in any place where there were records of violence. If the election is free and credible, I will win the elections.

“I am not bothered about the snatching of ballots because INEC said that any places where there are incidences of violence would not be counted.”

Dino Melaye, the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has alleged plots by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to manipulate election result sheets in the Ogori-Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi state.

The PDP candidate, in a video posted on his verified X page on Saturday, alleged that INEC refused to present plain results sheets to agents in Ogori-Magongo, adding that the sheets have been filled and tampered with.

Melaye claimed that INEC’s action has created tension and sparked protests in polling units across the LGA.

He further said that if INEC fails to present plain results sheets in all polling units, PDP agents and supporters should withdraw from partaking in the electoral process.

“INEC has refused to show our agents results sheets and that results sheets have been written. There’s a massive protest in all polling units in the Ogori-Magongo local government of Kogi state right now.

“The results sheets have been filled and tampered with already, and people are refusing to accredit, people are refusing to vote, and they are insisting that plain results sheets must be shown to agents in accordance with electoral law.

“If they refuse to show you results sheets in all polling units across the state, don’t accredit, don’t vote, protest, and resist it.

“This is a democracy, we must protect our votes, we must protect the process, and we must make sure that all the regulations are being observed and respected.

“I call on all my agents, all across the state, that once plain results sheets are not shown to you before the commencement of accreditation, don’t accredit, don’t vote, resist it and protest, record it, video it, show the faces of this compromised INEC staff and security agents and post it on all platform of social media,” the PDP candidate said, adding “This election is a must-win for us. Thank you.”

A civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, has alerted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on an alleged pre-filled result sheet for Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State, north-central Nigeria.

Yiaga Africa uploaded a photo of the alleged result sheet on X at 9:20 a.m. on Saturday while voting was just about to start in most of the polling units across the state.

“We received (a) report of (a) pre-filled results sheet discovered in PU 004, Eni Ward of Ogori/magongo in Kogi state before commencement of voting,” the CSO tweeted at INEC.

“Kindly investigate and address this issue promptly to safeguard the integrity of the process,” it added.

The CSO at 9:44 a.m. uploaded a photo of another alleged pre-filled result sheet for the Polling Unit 020, Eika/Ohizenyi, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi state.

INEC was yet to react to the issue at the time of this report.

A total of 18 candidates are taking part in Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State.

The gunshots were fired a few meters away from the Central Amaimo school where the PDP candidate, Samuel Anyanwu, is scheduled to vote

There was a mild drama at the Amaimo Registration Centre in Ikeduru LGA of Imo State on Saturday when security officials fired double gunshots into the air to quell an argument.

The gunshots were fired a few meters away from the Central Amaimo school where the PDP governorship candidate, Samuel Anyanwu, is scheduled to vote

The incident happened at about 9.48 a.m. with a few voters already checking their names on the displayed INEC register.

Some voters who did not speak on record say they would want to cast their votes on time and leave because they are not sure what the day will be like.

Apart from Mr Anyanwu, other major candidates in the election are Governor Hope Uzodimna of the APC, Athan Achonu (LP) and Tony Ejiogu (APGA).

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission deployed to various polling units across Lokoja are currently stranded at the Ajayi Crowther Memorial School.

The officials were at the location to receive electoral materials for the conduct of the November 11 governorship elections in the state.

Among them are corp members and other ad-hoc staff contracted by the commission for the conduct of the election.

Though the officials have received the electoral materials, they are still stranded as no means of transportation to their various polling units was in sight.

An official was heard informing some officials that the only way they could get to their location was if the voters at the polling units arranged transportation for them.

As at the time of filing this report, only three mini buses were on sight to transport over two hundred electoral officials.

The Chairman of Lokoja Local Government Council in Kogi State, Hon. Mohammed D Mohammed, has died.

The cause of death is said to be high blood pressure. The late politician was confirmed dead in the early hours of Friday.

The council chairman died during the All Progressives Congress (APC) meeting at the state government house ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Kogi State.

Leading Reporters gathered that the Lokoja Council boss will be buried according to Islamic injunction after the Jamma’at prayer.

He left behind a wife and some children.

FCT minister and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has warned his successor, Sim Fubara, against working against the political structure that brought him to power.

Wike gave the warning during a book presentation at Rivers State University on Friday.

Fubara was also present at the event.

Speaking on the recent crisis which recently rocked the Rivers State House of Assembly, Wike informed Fubara that he can paralyze governance in the state “and nothing will happen”.

“If I say there will be problems there will be, don’t be decieved. I don’t need to win but I need you to suffer; you can’t sleep. People will hold you responsible for non performance, I have finished my own 8 years,” Wike said.

“All of you know me very well; how I fought the Former Governor. If you are part of a political structure and you are going against the structure, the structure will call you to order.

“It’s not about rushing to court, all of us have capacity to rush to court. I will reply everybody at the appropriate time,” he added.

Barely hours before the governorship election in Bayelsa State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the abduction of its Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) deployed in Ossioma in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.

The official’s abduction was announced late Friday by Wilfred Ifogah, INEC’s HOD of Voter Education and Publicity in Bayelsa.

The SPO, an ad-hoc staff member of INEC, was reportedly abducted while waiting to board a boat at Amassoma Jetty in Sagbama LGA.

The electoral umpire said security agencies have been alerted, and efforts are underway to secure the safe release of the official.

Meanwhile, comes as a boat conveying election personnel and materials capsized on its way to Koluama Registration Area-17 in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

According to Ifogah, “..result sheets, power banks and luggage containing personal effects of staff” were lost in the boat mishap.

Ifogah, however, noted that no life was lost as all the election personnel numbering 12 and the boat operator were rescued.

The affected Registration Area, Koluama-17, has a total of 5,368 registered voters, with 5,311 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected. INEC said it is actively working to ensure that the election in this area proceeds as planned, despite the setback caused by the boat mishap.

Earlier, the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said all sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo State had been delivered.

The INEC boss, who stated this on Thursday in Abuja, said 5,169,692 Nigerians who collected their PVCs are expected to vote in the governorship elections in the three states.

Speaking in Yanagoa, the Bayelsa capital on Wednesday, Yakubu said “I want to let you know that our BIVAS have been customized for INEC, so INEC details and the name of the parties are on the BIVAS, so any BIVAS you see without INEC details cannot be from INEC.

“Another thing, we have the list of the serial number of the BIVAS we are going to use, the result sheets will be signed at the polling units.

“Where there is violence, it will be zero, we will not return to that polling unit to conduct the election.

“We have recruited and carefully trained all categories of ad-hoc staff to be deployed to the field, all non-sensitive materials have been distributed to all the eight local government area offices of the state, voter education and sensitization is ongoing,” he said at a stakeholders meeting, represented by the INEC National Commissioner supervising Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu.

Yakubu added, “We have made arrangements for the transportation of personnel and materials to ensure that the polling unit opens on schedule on election day.

“For more effective supervision of the process, we are deploying two National Commissioners, and eight resident electoral Commissioners to support our office in Bayelsa, I wish to assure you of our commitment to a free, fair and credible election come Saturday.”