Kogi Youth Besiege INEC Office, Protest Plot to Disqualify SDP Gov'ship Candidate

Sequel to the plot to disqualify SDP governorship candidate, Barr Natasha Akpoti and her running mate, Engr. Khalid Adams from November 16 election in Kogi state, a good number of youth from the state have besieged the headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abuja to protest.


The SDP governorship candidate, Barr Natasha Akpoti and her running mate, Engr. Khalid Adams who are currently at the INEC headquarters said, "it is unfortunate that INEC has allowed itself to be used.

"It is on record that the deputy governor of Zamfara State, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau is 33 years old, it is also on record that the Supreme Court has stopped INEC from disqualifying any candidate.

"Whose script is INEC playing? Is the constitution INEC quoting didn't exist when when they allowed 33 year old Mahdi Aliyu Gusau to run as deputy governor.

"Nigeria is for all of us and it's unfortunate that INEC is instigating the lawful citizens of Kogi state to rise and demand for their rights."

Also speaking, the chaiman of Kogi State chapter of SDP, Alh. Mouktar Atimah said the people of Kogi State who are tired of the misrule in Kogi State and hope on Natasha Akpoti to correct the anomaly will not leave until INEC upturn the script they are acting.

The national chairman of YPP, Bishop Amacre, who  is also at INEC headquarters said the governorship candidate of his party for governorship election in Kogi was disqualified on frivolous reasons.

According to him, candidates of thirteen other parties were disqualified yesterday by the electoral umpire on what he termed "the bidding of Kogi State governor to save him from imminent defeat in the November election", he said.

SDP and its governorship candidate for Kogi election who have been at the INEC headquarters since yesterday is currently challenging the plot by INEC to disqualify SDP and its candidate from Kogi State election posed that the electoral umpire cleared a 33 year old Mahdi Aliyu Gusau as running mate to the current Zamfara State governor and they both contested on the platform of the PDP in the March 2019 governorship election. The 33-year-old Aliyu is the current deputy governor of Zamfara State.

The party queried that, "the same INEC that allowed a 33 year old man to run as deputy governor plots to disqualify a governorship candidate on the grounds that the running mate which was to be substituted is 34 and consequently, a "minor".

The party came to substitute, INEC is rejecting substitution, SDP challenging INEC that the electoral umpire has no power reject substitution of candidate when the time for substitution has not expired, posing that INEC has no  power to disqualify candidates brought forth by a political party.

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