FOUR political parties
in Kogi state have appealed to the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the re-run election
into vacant seats of the Okene/Ogori-Magongo Federal
Constituency and the Okene 1 constituency of the state House
of Assembly without further delay as the area is now peaceful
and conducive for the election.
The political parties
are the Action Congress (AC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Democratic Peoples
Party (DPP) and the National Democratic Party (NDP).
It would be recalled
that the Court of Appeal ordered INEC to conduct the re-run
election in the constituency when it ruled in favour of the
PDP candidate that the election was not in conformity with the
Electoral Act.
However, during the
re-run election held last June 13, supporters of both the PDP
and AC engaged in a free for all fight, which forced INEC
officials to abandon the election.
Spokesperson of the
parties who is also the state chairman of AC, Alhaji Haddy
Ametuo while speaking during a press conference held at the
NUJ press centre, Lokoja said that all the four political
parties in the election have resolved to work together in
order to have a peaceful election.
"The fact that all the
stakeholders for the election are gathered here today clearly
shows that we are ready for a peaceful election. We felt that
it will be counter productive to take legal action against
INEC for going against the provisions of the Constitution and
the Electoral Act which has deprived the people of adequate
representatives in the two chambers", he said.
According to him, a
local government poll was recently conducted across the state
including Okene without any form of violence. Then the area is
now conducive enough for the conduct of the re-run election,
urging the Federal Government to provide enough security
during the conduct of the re-run election.
Also, a communiqué
signed by Hon Idris King (PDP) and Hon Abdul Kokori [AC], both
contestants for the House of Representatives and Abdullahi
Bello (PDP) and Isah Amoka (AC) for the state House of
Assembly copied to the SSS, Police, and National
Orientation Agency (NOA),
INEC and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
which was made available to newsmen in Lokoja, resolved to
play the USA politics by accepting the result in good faith.
They equally resolved to
sign undertakings to bear the direct consequence of any
eventuality that may arise during the election, adding that
any dispute will be resolved through dialogue.
The candidates,
therefore, urged INEC to, in no distanct time, give a date for
the re-run election into the vacant seats as the
constituencies are eager for the overdue election.
