By joshua Kogi LG Polls: ADC Alerts Of Plot By APC To Suppress Votes, Refuse Deployment Of Ballot Boxes
… Demands Announcement Of Results At Polling Units, Warns KOSIEC Against Reneging On Free, Fair Election Promise
Lokoja – The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kogi State Chapter, has raised a serious alarm over alleged plans by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to subvert the Local Government Chairmanship and Councilorship elections slated for tomorrow, 17th October, 2026, across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
In a Press Release issued on Friday in Lokoja and signed by the State Chairman, Hon. Tom Zakari, PhD, the party said its attention has been drawn to a purported clandestine plan by the APC not to deploy ballot boxes for the exercise, or at best, to deploy ballot boxes to only a few selected polling units across the state to create a hogwash and window-dressing show of electoral process.
The ADC further disclosed that it has it on good authority that there is a calculated plot not to announce results of the election at the respective polling units and wards, a plan it said is ostensibly designed to create an avenue to ferry ballot materials to unknown destinations where results will be manipulated, falsified and inflated in favour of the ruling APC.
Full text of the Press Release:
PRESS RELEASE
Gentlemen of the Press,
The attention of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kogi State Chapter, has been drawn to the purported plan of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) not to deploy ballot boxes for the Local Government Chairmanship and Councilorship elections scheduled for tomorrow, 17th October, 2026.
It is further alleged that even if they do so, it is intended to deploy ballot boxes to only a few selected polling units across the entire state to make a hogwash show of the process.
It was also alleged on good authority that results of the elections would not be announced at the polling units and their respective wards. This plan is ostensibly designed to create an avenue to manipulate and falsify results of the poll in favour of the APC.
The ADC wishes to state categorically that on no ground shall we condone any such acts of manipulation, electoral fraud and irregularities that confer undue advantage on the ruling APC in the state.
The ADC is therefore advising the State APC to desist forthwith from its usual perpetration of electoral impunity, malfeasance and unacceptable brigandage in our dear state, Kogi.
The State Chairman, Hon. Tom Zakari, PhD, wishes to use this opportunity to call on all our party candidates and our teeming supporters across the 21 Local Government Areas to troop out en-masse tomorrow to exercise their electoral franchise which can never be deprived by any force.
Recall that the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) had last week at a Stakeholders’ Meeting held at the NUT Hall, Lokoja, promised opposition parties and indeed all Kogites that it will conduct a free, fair, credible and transparent Local Government Election. Any act of reneging on this solemn promise on the part of KOSIEC would not be acceptable on any account by the ADC and indeed by the good people of Kogi State.
Thank you and God bless Kogi State.
Signed:
Hon. Tom Zakari, PhD,
State Chairman,
African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kogi State Chapter.