Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has commended the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security personnel during the off-cycle governorship election in the state.
Candidate of All Progressive Congress APC Alhaji Usman Ododo also extended similar commendations.
Bello spoke after voting at his polling unit in Okene and stated the smooth conduct of the exercise, attributing it to the level of preparedness shown by INEC and its officials.
“I commend INEC for a job well done. I also commend security operatives for offering residents of Kogi a peaceful environment to participate in the election without hindrance.
“I am optimistic that our candidate, Usman Ododo, will emerge victorious at the end of the exercise.
“We have come out in numbers to cast our votes. I have just cast my vote and others are casting their votes. It is timely. All materials were deployed within the time stipulated.
“So far I haven’t heard of complaint from any quarter. The conduct of INEC so far has been so fantastic. All the security agencies have conducted themselves so far very professionally.
“Citizens that are exercising their franchise are doing that freely. There are no hitches; no rancour.
“We are united and we are happy at this exercise. By the special grace of God we are going to come off very triumphant,’’ Bello said.
The governor also compared elections in Kogi before and during his tenure since taking office in 2015.
“From the benefit of hindsight and looking back at 2019, this brings a strong reminder of an election.
“The incidence of electoral violence in Kogi in my own time is a media creation. Go into history; go into records and compare my regime and that of the previous ones.
“You will discover that in the regime of Gov. Bello, the conduct of elections has been violence-free exercises; the freest; the freest, fair, and credible.
“Therefore, the issue of violence in our election in Kogi is a media creation and figment of the imagination of all those who do not want good things to happen here in Kogi.
“There is nothing like violence. The conduct of free and fair and credible election is in the hands of security agencies and the citizens,’’ he said.
On his part, Ododo also expressed satisfaction at the conduct of security operatives at the election and praised them for ensuring that things were smooth and peaceful.
“While I express confidence at winning this election, I thank Kogi people for turning out en-masse to vote in the crucial exercise,’’ he said. (NAN)
Kanyi Daily recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission had responded to a report from Yiaga Africa, a civil society organization, regarding alleged pre-filled result sheets discovered during the Kogi State governorship election.
