Kogi group declares support for INEC over Nov 2023 guber election

BY IDRIS AHMED

A group, Election Transparency Advocacy Coalition, (ETAC), has expressed disappointment with some politicians in Kogi State who continue to direct their frustration on the Independent National Electrical Commission (INEC), over their defeat during the November 2023 governorship election.

Sponsoring campaign of calumny against the Commission by the losers of election is just a waste of time and effort as the electoral body performed its constitutional duty.

Addressing a press conference on Friday in Lokoja, the joint coordinators of the advocacy groups, Barr Oluchi Anabude and Barr. PeterUgwuoke condemned in the strongest terms, the manner the bad losers of the election resorted to use of unfair and wicked propaganda to run down the Commission since the conclusion of the election won by the All Progressives Congress APC, last year.

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While warning politicians who are fanning the embers of crisis to desist from promoting what it described as atrocious ethnic agenda in Kogi; the coalition stated that Kogi is a state for all its indigenes, which should not be reduced to ethnic enclave of any particular tribe believing and promoting divisive tendencies.

“We are here today in solidarity with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which has become a target of unfair and wicked propaganda by politicians who are bad losers.

“INEC is doing its best within the political environment it operates in, to deliver free, fair and credible elections in the country even if under extremely challenging conditions.

“You will recall that the Commission conducted governorship election last year in Kogi State. That election was won by the APC and was so declared by the Commission.

“Since that time, politicians from the state who promote atrocious ethnic agenda have been all over the place running down the Commission and sponsoring all sorts of campaign of calumny against INEC for doing its constitutionally assigned duty of conducting election.

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“Kogi is a state for all who are its indigenes and not an ethnic enclave of any particular tribe as these merchants of division are making it look like.

“INEC is not their problem. Their problem is themselves and their candidate who did not have the political status and structures to win even his local government. They can only thrive in propaganda and blackmail and these do not win elections, but expose those who engage in them as mere noise makers and serial election losers.

The group maintained that all lovers of democracy in this country know that the November 11th 2023 governorship election in Kogi State was conducted by INEC with professional competence which made it a substantially true reflection of the choice and wishes of the Kogi State electorate.