Yunusa Chado, the candidate from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the Lokoja local government chairmanship election on October 19, shared his views on the event. He feels it wasn’t fair and believes that Governor Ahmed Ododo isn’t truthful or just.
Chado said on Sunday that the state’s Independent Electoral Commission doesn’t seem to be independent at all. Instead, he believes they follow whatever the governor wants, which is what worries the opposition parties.
“I feel very let down by Ahmed Usman Ododo’s government,” Chado said. “Even though he has guided policies and actions that appeared people-centered, the way the election was handled shows otherwise. The worst part was that an innocent motorcycle rider lost his life due to the actions of some APC supporters.”
“We had high hopes for the governor because we thought Kogi was moving towards real growth and helping government workers,” Chado said with sadness. “But what we thought about him has changed because of how the governor has acted without caring. No job is worth someone’s life.”
“My goal is to care for our people who suffered a lot under the APC government,” Chado said. “We won’t let the poor planning by the state government, SIEC, and security forces stop us from working for the voters who want change.”
Chado criticized the way leaders are selected through caretaker committees, despite the Supreme Court ruling against such setups in Kogi State.
“How can a state with so many leaders, like a governor, deputy governor, and many more, be too scared to hold a simple local government election?” he questioned. “This situation clearly shows there is a bigger issue at hand,” he added.
According to Chado, the governor and the election officials are acting in ways that make them seem sneaky and unfair.
“I want the world to know that I truly won the election,” Chado stated. “They hid the voting papers in the government house because they realized I would win.”
He urged his followers to remain peaceful and not break any laws in response to what happened.