Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of carrying out a hatchet job by not declaring him winner of the governorship election in the state.

In a statement issued in Lokoja yesterday by Governor Wada’s chief communications manager, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, the governor said having had more time to study the INEC’s decision, it was left with no choice but to conclude that the commission embarked on a hatchet job.

Wada said in view of the death of the All Progressives Congress’ candidate, Abubakar Audu, he should be declared the winner of the inconclusive election being the only surviving candidate with the majority of lawful votes cast in the election held on November 21.

He said the conclusion was reinforced by the fact that “whatever votes Audu scored in the election died with him,” saying that INEC simply overreached itself, and wondered why a body established to be the custodian of the rule of law would ignore the fundamentals of the rule of law in arriving at the decision not to issue him a certificate of return.

The statement disagreed with INEC’s argument that APC’s right to substitution was sustained by the Electoral Act, saying the electoral body should know that it is for the court, not the commission, to determine which course of action is effective or not.

It said in arriving at a decision, INEC merely carried out the directives of the Attorney General of the Federation, but argued that the AGF was not competent to issue directives to INEC to allow APC to substitute its candidate for the Kogi gubernatorial poll.