Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has refuted the allegation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that he registered twice as a voter in Abuja and subsequently in Lokoja.
The governor stated this while addressing State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday after observing the two-raka’at Juma’at prayer at the Aso Rock Mosque.
INEC on May 25 via a statement issued by one of its National Commissioners and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mr Solomon Soyebi, alleged that Bello registered twice as a voter.
Reacting however, Bello said he was shocked after seeing the report in the media, saying that “I travelled on (May) 19 to Dubai for a brief break and I saw the press release and I was taken aback that I did a double registration on (May) 23rd, probably it is my ghost that must have done the double registration.
“I think INEC has earned itself a very high reputation and I’m very confident that the leadership of INEC will not allow some elements to drag its name into the mud.
“Actually, that is a falsehood; I did not do double registration of permanent voter card,’’ he said.
The INEC had declared that “It has come to its attention “that Gov. Bello of Kogi state registered as a voter for the second time on Tuesday May 23, 2017, in Government House, Lokoja, the state capital.
“His first registration was on January 30, 2011, in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.
“The governor’s double registration and doing so outside lNEC’s designated centres are both illegal.
“For the on-going Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, INEC has designated a centre in each of the country’s 774 local government areas including FCT’s six area councils.”
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