Off-cycle polls: SDP alleges plans to burn INEC office, election materials in Kogi

The Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Kogi State says it has uncovered plans by some suspected arsonists to burn down the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Lokoja.

The party announced this in a statement issued on Sunday evening in Lokoja, by the Director General, New Media, MuriSam Campaign Council of SDP, Isaiah Davies.

In a statement titled: “The Plot to Burn Down INEC Office in Lokoja Exposed”, the SDP called on security officials to quickly swing into action to prevent the alleged plan to burn the office of the electoral commission and all the materials used for the just concluded governorship race.

“They want to burn down the building housing those sensitive materials on the guise of a fire outbreak and with the aim of damaging all evidence of rigging.

“We would like the whole world to know that if anything happens to the sensitive materials as ordered by the court to be inspected by the solicitors of the SDP, Governor Yahaya Bello should be held responsible as the chief security officer of the state,” the party alleged in the statement.

Recall that INEC declared the APC candidate, Usman Ododo, as the winner of the closely contested election.

Ododo was declared winner by the electoral umpire with 446,237 votes, defeating his closest rival, Murtala Ajaka of the SDP, who scored 259,052, while Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recorded 46,362 votes.