People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate for the Kogi West Senatorial District by-election, Dino Melaye, has presented 21 video clips to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to serve as evidence of electoral violence and malpractices during last Saturday’s election.
Melaye, in a petition put together by his solicitors and signed by Tobechukwu Nweke, claimed that the Kogi West Senatorial election was less than satisfactory as it was mostly characterised by all forms of violence and malpractices, including shooting, ballot box stuffing and snatching as well as mass thumb printing of ballot papers.
The petition and video tapes, which were received by the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony and National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, contained alleged incidents of violence from the seven council areas under the senatorial district.
According to the petition, the incidents and instances recorded in words and in the videos lend credence to the claim by Melaye that what happened in the district was not an election, as prescribed by the Electoral Act (as amended).
