The Director General, Bello/Onoja Campaign Organisation, Smart Adeyemi, has called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to monitor the November 16 Kogi State governorship election.
Adeyemi, who made the call at a press briefing on Friday in Lokoja, said the ICPC and EFCC’s presence was needed to monitor the movement cash by the Peoples Democratic party to induce voters.
He said, “The investigations conducted by the ruling All Progressive Congress into why the PDP is neither campaigning have shown clearly that they are stockpiling huge sum of money to compromise INEC and the judiciary after losing the election.
“A politician from South-West has pledged to donate a huge sum of money to the PDP with a view to distabilising the electoral process and buy off the judiciary. We in APC will not fold our arms and allow anyone to impose an unpopular governor and a senator on us.”
However, spokesman for the Musa Wada/Sam Aro Campaign Organisation, Faruk Adejoh, described the APC’s allegations as “laughable”.
Adejoh said, “We don’t even have money to campaign not to talk of stockpiling for any purpose. They are the ones with all the money with which they are buying thugs here and there.
“Governor Bello has collected about N540bn in the last four years with nothing to show for it in terms of infrastructure. They know that the day of reckoning is fast approaching, that is why they are crying wolf where there is none.”
Meanwhile, the Secretary, Media Committee, APC Kogi State Governorship Campaign Council, Tom Ohikere, has dismissed the return of the Social Democratic Party for the election, Natasha Akpoti. Akpoti was earlier disqualified from the contest by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The electoral body had refused to accept the nomination of Adams Khalid as Akpoti’s running mate after Mohammed Yakubu was dropped on the grounds that he was not qualified to run as a deputy governorship candidate on account of his age.
But the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled on Thursday that INEC lacked the power to prevent any candidate from participating in the election without a court order.
Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa asked the electoral body to allow Akpoti to take part in the November 16 poll.
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