TheCable

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says Usman Ododo, governor-elect of Kogi, won the November 11 election because he built on the “strong achievements” of Yahaya Bello, the outgoing governor of the state.

There has been post-election violence in Kogi after the declaration of Ododo as the winner of the off-cycle election.

While Dino Melaye, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he would not challenge the outcome of the election, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who came second, said he would file a petition.

However, addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Felix Morka, national spokesperson of the APC, said the time to file a petition at the tribunal has elapsed, noting that the court has the final say.

“On his part, the candidate of the SDP, Murtala Ajaka, stated, on national television, that he will not challenge the election, for reasons similar to that advanced by his opposition counterpart, Dino, who has no confidence in the judiciary, especially as INEC will be a potential witness in the case to justify the outcome of the election,” Morka said.

“In a sudden u-turn, Ajaka is now reported to have changed his mind and now intends to bring a petition before the Election Petition Tribunal, even though, it appears that he is out of time to validly do so. However, we will leave that for determination by the courts.

“We participated in the Kogi election, our candidate campaigned widely and vigorously to win the hearts and minds of the good Kogi electorate.

“He built upon the strong record of achievements of Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration and our Party’s progressive manifesto.

“Rather than carry out a comprehensive evaluation of the reasons they were rejected at the polls, these parties have continued to peddle falsehood and promote ethnic and social unrest in the state.”

The APC spokesperson condemned the attacks on Gabriel Longpet, resident electoral commissioner (REC) in Kogi, and Mike David, secretary of the election tribunal.