Metuh says PDP will react with verifiable evidence

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday said it would react to Saturday’s Kogi gubernatorial election, declared inconclusive by INEC, after getting facts about the election.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, stated this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, shortly after the election was declared inconclusive.

Metuh said that ``the party always wants to make informed reaction based on verifiable evidence on what went on during the election.

``We don’t rush to make reactions, we make only informed reactions. Our reaction will be based on what is on ground and verifiable evidence that we have.

``We are still compiling evidence, we are still making enquiries; we are still keeping in touch with our people on the ground in Kogi.

``It is only when we finish all these that we can take informed decision and we announce it to the public.

``We don’t just get up and react; No, it is too early to react.’’

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lokoja had earlier declared Kogi election inconclusive.

The Returning Officer, Prof. Emmanuel Kucha, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, said the decision was based on INEC approved guidelines for 2015 general elections.

Kucha said that in applying the provisions of the guidelines, the election should be declared inconclusive and result withheld when the margin of votes between the two leading candidate was less than the number of registered voters in poling units where elections were not conducted.

According to him, there are 49,953 registered voters in 91 polling units involving 18 local government areas where elections did not hold or cancelled.

He said whereas Prince Abubakar Audu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 240,867 votes, followed by Gov. Idris Wada of PDP with 199,514 votes, the margin between the two candidates was 41, 353.

The officer said since 49,953, the number of registered voters in areas where elections were not held was more than 41,353 representing the different between votes polled by APC and PDP candidates, the election was declared inconclusive