From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Ahead of the August 11 Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency bye -election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured the people of the zone of its readiness to conduct A free, fair and credible election.
INEC also affirmed that it will discharge its constitutional duty without fear or favour warning that any body who involves himself or herself in electoral fraud during the election would not be spared by the security operatives.
This is just as participating political parties have conducted their primary elections.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the process had elected Ahmed Alfa Imam, the former Speaker of the state assembly as its sole candidate.
Imam in his speech at the Party’s Secretariat in Lokoja shortly after being elected through consensus promised to live above board in using his position at the National Assembly to attract development to his constituency.
” Aside my constitutional obligations to provide my constituents with the basic need for a living such as housing, road, hospital, electricity and water, I will also use my position to influence development ” Imam assured.
Similarly Zacheaus Jonathan had emerged as the sole candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) through affirmation.
However, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kogi, Professor James Apam at a stakeholders meeting at the commission’s headquarters in Lokoja, the state capital expressed optimism that the bye election would be successful.
According to him, the commission was ready to improve on the achievements already recorded in the previous elections conducted by it in the state.
He solicited the support of the stakeholders to make the election a huge success.
It would be recalled that candidates of both the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) all emerged through an affirmation by delegates at the party primaries.
Returning officer for ADC primaries, Zainab Usman said a total of 111 delegates from Lokoja and Kogi local government areas took part in the exercise.
Speaking after his election the ADC candidate, Zacheaus Jonathan lauded the peaceful conduct of the primaries and promised not to let the people down if eventually given the mandate serve his people.
He pledged to ensure effective representation and attraction of the needed social amenities and infrastructural development to his people.
