By ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
Some Kogi Youths has protested on the continuous retention of Kogi Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC Dr Hale Gabriel Longpet, by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, saying he may not deliver credible election as he wine and dine with Kogi Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
The youths in their large numbers protested across the Lokoja metropolis carrying placards with different inscriptions and later converged at INEC headquarters in Lokoja on Tuesday, insisting that reports reaching the people of the state had showed likely compromise of the state REC.
They accused the REC of incompetent and corruption, as he sleeps with Kogi Governor in Government House Lokoja.
The large numbers of youths expressed disappointment that the Kogi state REC may not deliver credible election in November, 2023 if allowed to continue.
They said to be forewarned is to be forearmed, stating that the same scenario played out in 2019 when the former INEC officials compromised the governorship election, despite the highly militarized and fraudulent activities that characterized the last exercise.
The various inscriptions reads ‘Longpet is a disgrace to INEC’, ‘Give us another REC’ ‘We want Longpet replaced forthwith’, ‘INEC, Kogi is not for sale,’ ‘Remove and Replace Longpet now,’ ‘We demand for free and fair election in Kogi,’ ‘Longpet Must Go,’ among many others.
The justification of Kogi Youths is obvious given the scenario that played out recently in Adamawa and the desperate tendencies of Kogi Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello on imposing his successor and kinsman.
Feelers has revealed that INEC and security agencies are been targeted by the government to harrass hapless voters towards discouraging free , fair and credible election in November later in the year.
