One horse race in Kogi House of Assembly election

It will be a one-horse race in Kogi State House of Assembly election slated for this Saturday.

Track news reports that the seventh Assembly in Kogi State consists of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) occupying all the 25 seats in the house.

Similar things might play out in this Saturday’s House of Assembly election.

Barr. Hilary Collins, Lawmaker representing Igalamela Odolu Constituency, late Jimoh Omiata, (Yagba East), Ahmed Mohammed, (Ankpa II), Bello Hassan Abdullahi Balogun, (Ajaokuta) among others are some of the current lawmakers who will not be returning to the Assembly.

In the 2019 House of Assembly elections, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), including observers alleged that it was marred with intimidation of voters, ballot box snatching and falsification of results.

In the build up to this Saturday election, political analysts, including the opposition PDP, are expressing fear that there won’t be a transparent, free and fair election.

According to them, despite the assurance given by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), that the National Assembly and Presidential election conducted on 25 February will stand the test of time, their hope was dashed.

For them, the possibility of INEC conducting credible elections is zero percent.

A chieftain of the PDP in Kogi State, Abdullahi Arome, who spoke to our correspondent, said the party had lost confidence in INEC both in the State and the National level.

“INEC has lost the credibility of conducting a free and fair election in Nigeria. The past National Assembly and Presidential elections are a clear example that they don’t want the progress of our democracy. INEC has taken us 30 years backward.

“As far as I am concerned, this Saturday’s election, we don’t trust them. We won’t be surprised if they write the result and announce it to favour the Kogi State Government led by Alhaji Yahaya Bello. That was the same thing that was done in 2019. There was no election as far as we are concerned. It was a selection. As for me, we don’t have hope for this Saturday’s polls.”