BREAKING: PDP Guber Candidate Dino Melaye Boycotts Kogi Poll, Calls For Protest [VIDEO]—-The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the Kogi state governorship poll, Senator Dino Melaye has boycotted the ongoing exercise across the 21 local government areas.
Our correspondent who monitored the exercise observed that Melaye was not seen in his unit 004, ward 002, Iluafon quarters, Aiyetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area to cast his vote.
Newsmen reliably learnt that the PDP candidate, who was in his country home, with some of his people stayed away from the exercise.
One of the PDP chieftains in the town who craved anonymity, because he was not authorised to speak, said Melaye did vote because he believed the election was already predetermined.
He said: “Oga, deliberately stayed away from the exercise so as not to give the election credibility. We are quite aware where the pendulum will swing because the outcome is already predetermined.”
Voting commenced around 8:30 am in his polling unit and ended by exactly 2pm.
Meanwhile, in a video shared on his verified X handle on Saturday, Melaye stated that election result sheets for the local government had already been filled out and stamped even before the commencement of voting.
Melaye alleged that INEC staff are refusing to “show agents result sheets.”
Melaye, who noted that “result sheets have been filled and tempered with already”, called on his supporters to boycott the election in places where INEC officials refuse to show a plain result sheet before the commencement of voting.
The former lawmaker, who represented Kogi West Senatorial District, further called for protests in such polling units and the boycott of voting or accreditation.
He said, “INEC staff are refusing to show result sheets, and result sheets have been written.
“There is a massive protest in all polling units in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State right now.
“The result sheets have been filled and tempered with already, and people are refusing to accredit, people are refusing to vote, and they are insisting that plain result sheets must be shown to agents in accordance with electoral laws.”
He further added that “if they refuse to show you result sheets in all polling units across the state, do not accredit, do not vote; protest and resist it.
“This is democracy. We must protect our vote, we must protect the process, and we must make sure that all regulations are being observed and respected.
“I call on all my agents across the state that plain result sheets are not shown to you before the commencement of accreditation; do not accredit, do not vote, resist it, and protest.”
He called on his supporters and agents to “record it, video it, show the faces of these compromised INEC staff and security agents, and post it on all platforms on social media.”
“This election is a must win for us,” he added.
Watch the video below:
INEC staff caught with written results before accreditation pic.twitter.com/OKmdaZ7wbX
— Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@_dinomelaye) November 11, 2023
