Following developments in Kogi State in the last few days , the Kogi State chapter of the All Progressive Congress has called for the immediate arrest of the defeated candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka over the assassination attack on the residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr.Gabriel Longpet in Lokoja.
The Spokesman of the All Progressive Congress APC and State Commissioner for Information , Kingsley Fanwo made this call while addressing Journalists on the development in Kogi State Capital in the past three days.
Fanwo explained that the call becomes imperative in view of the out cry by the APC to explain the desperation and subterranean moves by the SDP to distabilize the state, after failing in the just concluded governorship election .
“The Kogi State All Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Council has called on the Police, Department of State Services and other security agencies to immediately arrest what it described as the slide to anarchy in the state by arresting the Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, and his supporters who allegedly masterminded the attack on the residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state in the early hours of Friday.”
The APC Campaign Council said the attack was perpetrated days after it alerted the nation of the plans of SDP thugs to attack INEC, adding that “they have finally done their worst by attacking the residence of the Kogi State INEC Commissioner, engaging security agents in a fierce gun battle and eventually burning down some vehicles in the residence and in the area.”
“The Director of Media and Publicity/Spokesperson for the Campaign Council, Kingsley Fanwo, who spoke at an emergency press briefing on Friday, said, “The same arsonists also had an attempt to burn down the Kogi State Government House foiled by our eagle-eye security agents. The same attempt was foiled at the State APC Secretariat in Lokoja.”
“According to the APC, the SDP in the state and their collaborators are desperate to destroy some documents in INEC to cover the heist they committed in Kogi East where they allegedly killed APC supporters “and drove them out of collation centres to forge the results that were eventually trumped by the massive votes of Kogites for the Governor-Elect.”
“The Campaign Council alleged that the SDP candidate and his collaborators were attempting to corrupt certain documents in INEC before handing them to their legal team.
“We have no problem allowing legal teams to access documents and materials. It is the norm. But we won’t allow any desperate blood thirsty politician tamper with the true verdict of the Kogi people,” Fanwo declared.
He noted that “the bold-face criminality being perpetrated by the defeated SDP candidate and his violent gang of criminals was as a result of the lack of consequences over the gruesome killing of an APC supporter, Khadijat, at Kotonkarfe by agents of the SDP,” adding that they had imported thugs from neighbouring states into Kogi.
“They shamelessly came out to say Khadijat was bearing an arm. Till date, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka and his gun welding killers have been moving freely on the streets. If they had been arrested for killing an innocent woman, they wouldn’t have had the gut to attempt to attack the Kogi Resident Electoral Commissioner,” he stressed.
“The Campaign Spokesperson stated, “We also told the world of plans by the SDP to burn down the INEC Office in Lokoja. We thank the Police and other security agencies for protecting the INEC Office. Frustrated by the watertight security around INEC, the gun throttling SDP criminals went to the residence of the Kogi State INEC Commissioner in an attempt to kill him. They were engaged in a fierce gun battle and they resorted to burning vehicles and other valuables around the area.
“The reason they are desperate to destroy some documents in INEC is to cover the heist they committed in Kogi East where they killed APC supporters and drove them out of collation centres to forge the results that were eventually trumped by the massive votes of Kogites for the Governor-Elect. They are attempting to corrupt certain documents in INEC before handing them to their legal team. We have no problem allowing legal teams to access documents and materials. It is the norm. But we won’t allow any desperate blood thirsty politician tamper with the true verdict of the Kogi people.
“After their violent protests a few days ago, our people have also moved to Lokoja to ensure their mandate is protected. Resorting to assassination and arson will never help the Social Democratic Party and their confused candidate over assassination attempt on the Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner , Dr. Gabriel Longpet in the early hours of Friday
“Now is the time to arrest Muritala Yakubu Ajaka before he throws Kogi into a state of anomie. Democracy is the expression of the wishes of the people. Those wishes have been expressed and no amount of bullets can silence the voice of the ballot. We are calling on the Police, DSS and other security agencies to immediately arrest the slide to anarchy by arresting Muritala Yakubu Ajaka and his co-swimmers in the pool of violence. We have cautioned our supporters to remain calm and the call will be more effective if the anarchists are immediately apprehended and prosecuted.
“The violence witnessed in Kogi East because of the desperation of Muritala Yakubu Ajaka was not witnessed in the West and Central. He turned himself to an outlaw, attacking the opposition, killing opposition members and boasting to go free because of his mouthed connection with certain powerful people. Kogi must not be allowed to become a lawless place and the only solution now is to use Muritala Yakubu Ajaka as a Scape goat. He was not the only one who contested the election. But he is the only one who feels he must kill everything and everyone standing on his path to his irredeemable dream of grabbing power by force. Totalitarianism has no place in a democratic setting.
“Gentlemen of the press, we will continue to preach peace and harmony. Kogi is our project and we will keep the flag flying,’ the spokesperson posited.
Earlier in a Statement signed by the Director General New Media, Isaiah Davies Ijele has distanced the Social Democratic Party, Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka and his supporters from igniting any protest under whatever guise in the state capital and any other part of the state. Those causing trouble are not our supporters but loyalists of the incumbent.
“Our party, the SDP is a peaceful political party whose ideology revolves around peace and seeking for justice through all known democratic channels amongst other principles supporting humanity. This is why the SDP is seeking redress through the court.
“So far, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been cooperative except the delay caused by one Mrs. Faith Kotso; the commission’s legal head in lokoja. She deliberately delayed our forensic experts in lokoja from accessing and conducting the physical examination of the electoral materials, frustrated all our initial efforts and the process was opened and hijacked by hoodlums loyal to outgoing governor Yahaya Bello and his Candidate. This is totally against the laws of our land and the democratic system of government we are practicing,” he stressed.
Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja
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