ZHUL-QI’DA 23, 1429 A.H.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21, 2008
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Parties want INEC to conduct by-elections in Kogi.
Some political parties in Kogi today called on INEC to conduct by-elections into the vacant seats in Ogori/Magongo Federal Constituency and Okene 1 State Constituency.
Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, the Acting Chairman of AC, made the call in Lokoja at a news conference, on behalf of the National Democratic Party (NDP), All Progress Grand Alliance (APGA), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and the PDP.
He said the elections were overdue.
Ametuo said the Federal Government had enough security agencies to maintain law and order during the exercise.
He said all the stakeholders were ready for peaceful by-election, stressing that the prevailing peace in Okene was conducive for the conduct of the by-elections.
Ametuo said the electorate in the area believed that it would be counter-productive to take legal action against INEC, for going against the provision Of the Constitution and the electoral act.
He said INEC had deprived the constituencies of representation in the House of Representatives and Kogi House of Assembly over the non-conduct of the elections.
The AC chieftain, however, said if INEC failed to heed the call within three weeks, the affected parties would not hesitate to sue the electoral body.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the results of the election into the House of Representatives were annulled by the Election Petitions Tribunal, which ordered a fresh election.
In his reaction, Chief Ayo Adakeja, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, said the postponement of the by-elections was due to the disruption of the exercise by some thugs, who held INEC staff hostage.
