Kogi election: I cannot congratulate Yahaya Bello – Party chieftain

Ilesanmi AdekanbiNovember 20, 2019

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Faruk Adejoh-Audu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi state has come down hard on the state governor, Yahaya Bello, over his re-election victory on Saturday, November 16.

Adejoh-Audu, who is the spokesperson for the Kogi PDP campaign council, told Channels TV that the state was turned to a war zone as a result of the governorship election.

To this end, the PDP spokesperson said he cannot congratulate Governor Bello, who has just secured his second term mandate following the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s declaration on Monday, November 18.

Adejoh-Audu claimed his party lost nine members to the electoral violence.

He said: “I will have congratulated Governor Yahaya Bello but unfortunately, I cannot because he won no election

What he won was a war waged by him and the Nigerian Police, so I cannot congratulate him.” The PDP chieftain added that the Kogi state government’s claim that there “there were just pockets of violence is incorrect.”

“There is hardly any ward in Kogi state except a few that did not experience violence,” he said.

In a related development, Senator Melaye threatened to report Governor Bello and other politicians in Kogi state to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the alleged violence that occurred during the senatorial and governorship elections in the state.

Melaye, who is currently battling to get re-elected in the National Assembly, is trailing his opponent, Smart Adeyemi in the Kogi west senatorial district rerun poll.

But the lawmaker, in a post on Twitter on Tuesday, November 19, said what occurred in Kogi state was more of a civil war than an election.

Newsflash247 had earlier reported that the PDP women leader in the Wada/Aro campaign council, Ochadamu ward of Kogi state was reportedly burnt alive in her home by some suspected thugs celebrating the APC’s victory in the state’s governorship election.

The incident reportedly occurred on Monday, November 18 afternoon, shortly after INEC announced that Governor Bello had been re-elected for a second term.