Kogi: INEC receives APC’s Yahaya Bello as Audu’s replacement

The APC, after hours of deliberations forwarded the name of the first runner-up of its governorship primaries in the state, Alhaji Yahay Bello to INEC as replacement for its late candidate, Prince  

Hours before the deadline given to the All Progressives Congress APC for the substitution of its candidate in the inconclusive Kogi Governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has confirmed receiving a communication from the party.

Bello will now square it out with the incumbent Governor Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party‎ PDP in Saturday’s supplementary poll.

INEC’s Deputy Director, Publicity, Nick Dazang, who confirmed the development last night in Abuja yesterday however, also said the commission was fully ready for the exercise.

“They have sent the name of their replacement candidate, the second runner-up in their primaries, that is Yahaya Bello, to the commission.

“The commission is committed to conduct the two elections,that is why in respect of kogi, in spite of what happened, we came out with public notice which invites the APC to submit its replacement candidate for the election”, he said.

Dazang said that as part of the commission’s preparations for the Bayelsa poll, INEC would be holding stakeholders’ forum in the state today (Tuesday), adding that INEC had concluded the distribution of non-sensitive materials for the Bayelsa poll.

According to him,”after the stakeholders’ forum, the commission will immediately on Wednesday commence the distribution of sensitive materials in the state. We are inviting the representatives of political parties, their agents, observers, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the media among others, to witness the distribution of sensitive materials”