The Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the outcome of the August 16 bye-election for Okura State Constituency in Dekina Local Government Area, demanding its cancellation and a fresh election.
In a statement issued in Abuja by the PDP state chairman, Enemona Anyebe, the party expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the election, citing alleged irregularities and voter disenfranchisement.
The PDP claimed that the election did not take place in a significant number of polling units, and that electoral materials were unavailable or inaccessible in some locations.
The party also raised concerns over the disparity in the declared results, pointing out that the vote figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sharply differed from previous voting patterns.
INEC declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 55,073 votes while the PDP garnered 1,038 votes. According to the PDP, the results were inconsistent with the 2023 general election outcomes and questioned how such a large turnout was possible given reports of low voter participation.
The PDP urged INEC to conduct an impartial review and called on INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to take steps to reinforce public trust in the electoral system.
“As a responsible political party, we have remained calm and restrained in our response because we believe democracy must thrive without conflict,” the statement concluded.
