The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the scheduled inspection of the 2023 Kogi governorship election materials by the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The ruling party also demanded the removal and discipline of the Kogi INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Gabriel Longpet, for being “heavily compromised” by the SDP and its candidate.
Kingsley Fanwo, the spokesperson and director of media and publicity of the APC Campaign Council, made the calls in a statement issued in Lokoja on Wednesday, January 4. The party criticized INEC for allowing the legal team of SDP to inspect the election materials despite a preliminary objection earlier raised by its counsels before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja.
The APC urged INEC to immediately halt any inspection of electoral materials used in the Nov. 11, 2023, governorship election in Kogi, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice filed by INEC and others to set the order of inspection aside. The party also called on INEC to commence disciplinary processes against the REC, Dr Longpet, for being heavily compromised by the SDP and its candidate.
The APC alleged that the REC was aiding the SDP in compromising, tampering with, and/or destroying electoral materials used in the concluded Nov. 11, 2023, governorship elections in Kogi. The party claimed that the SDP and its candidate, Alhaji Murtala Ajaka, had obtained an Ex-parte Order of the Tribunal on Nov. 25, 2023, directing INEC to allow an inspection of electoral materials used for the election to assist the SDP and its candidate institute and maintain a petition that hadn’t been filed yet.
The APC submitted that it was shocking to learn that the REC of INEC in Kogi, who works for a body that has asked a court to set aside the ex parte order for inspection it made, is now organizing an inspection exercise in Abuja for the SDP and its candidate, an exercise which is fully and financially sponsored by the SDP and its candidate.
The APC further alleged that the messages the said REC sent out to affected staff of INEC in Kogi to show up in Abuja for the inspection of the election materials on Thursday showed the desperation of the Kogi Resident Electoral Commissioner, who had been heavily compromised by the Social Democratic Party, its candidate, and their cohorts.
Reacting to the allegations, the Kogi INEC Head of Voters Education and Publicity (VEP), Mr Haruna Sule, expressed surprise over the allegations raised by APC, which he said were in agreement with the scheduled Jan. 4 inspection of the election materials. He noted that the matter was beyond their Kogi office but that of the INEC Headquarters in Abuja. He also said that the REC was acting based on instructions from the headquarters and shouldn’t be unjustly accuse