Following the official announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, declaring Ahmed Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Kogi State governorship election with 446,237 votes, Muritala Ajaka, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, and a multitude of his supporters staged a protest at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
INEC revealed that Ajaka secured the second position with a total of 259,052 votes, while Senator Dino Melaye, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), came in third with 46,362 votes. The protesters, expressing dissatisfaction with the conduct and outcome of the election, called on INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, during the demonstration to either resign or declare Ajaka as the legitimate winner within the seven-day window allotted for result scrutiny.
During the protest, attention was drawn to alleged overvoting in Kogi Central’s five local government areas, and there was surprise that the results were accepted rather than annulled.
In response to the situation, Ajaka expressed reluctance to challenge the election outcome in court if he were to lose to Ododo. He asserted that the election was marred by irregularities, accusing INEC of complicity in rigging. Speaking on Channels TV’s ‘The 2023 Verdict: Off-Cycle Elections,’ Ajaka warned of potential anarchy if the election results were allowed to stand, emphasizing discrepancies in voter turnout and result figures.
He criticized the acceptance of inflated figures, particularly in Okene local government, expressing doubt in the integrity of future elections if such irregularities were not addressed. Despite being disappointed, Ajaka questioned the efficacy of pursuing legal action, citing skepticism about the same INEC serving as a witness in court. He concluded that allowing such election outcomes to persist could lead to widespread unrest and even likened the situation to a potential crisis similar to Somalia.
