… Also Condemns Attempted Attack On Govt House, Party Secretariat
The Kogi State All Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Council has called on the Police, Department of State Services(DSS) 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(SDP), Muritala Yakubu Ajaka and supporters who allegedly masterminded the attack on the residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state in the early hours of Friday.
The Daily Crucible reported earlier today that gunmen invaded the residence of the Kogi INEC – REC in Lokoja, the state capital, and destroyed property during the early morning attack.
However, 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.
“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.”
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Daily Post Nigeria
Daily Post Nigeria
POLITICSAPC calls for immediate arrest of SDP guber candidate in KogiPublished on December 1, 2023By John Akinfehinwa
The All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Kogi State has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Governorship Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP) Muritala Yakubu Ajaka in the November 11 governorship poll in the State.
Addressing a press conference in Lokoja, on Friday, spokesperson for Kogi State APC campaign council, Kingsley Fanwo alleged that the SDP governorship candidate masterminded the attack on the residence of the Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner Gabriel Longpet, after engaging security agents in a fierce gun battle and eventually burning down some vehicles in the residence.
Fanwo alleged that the same arsonists also attempted to burn down the Kogi State Government House which was foiled by security agents.
His words, “The bold-face criminality being perpetrated by the defeated SDP candidate and his violent gang of criminals is as a result of the lack of consequences over the gruesome killing of Khadijat at Kotonkarfe by agents of the SDP. 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 guts to attempt to attack the Kogi Resident Electoral Commissioner.
“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 terms to access documents and materials. It is the norm. But we won’t allow any desperate bloodthirsty politician to 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. Now is the time to arrest Muritala Yakubu Ajaka before he throws Kogi into a state of anomie”.
While noting that democracy is the expression of the wishes of the people, Fanwo called on the Police, DSS and other security agencies to immediately arrest Muritala Yakubu Ajaka to advertise anarchy in Kogi State.
The APC campaign spokesperson alleged further that Ajaka and the SDP as well as their internal and external collaborators have imported dare-devil thugs into the state to kill, maim and destroy critical infrastructure to create a total breakdown of law and order in Kogi State.
“We call on security agencies to ensure those imported to kill our citizens are immediately fished out and prosecuted. We also call on Governor Yahaya Bello to ensure our people are protected from assassins and arsonists brought into our dear state to ensure the flow of blood. How desperate can Muritala Yakubu Ajaka be? 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 into 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 Scapegoat,” he stated.
But the Director of New Media Muri/Sam Campaign Council for SDP, Isaiah Davies Ijele has condemned the assassination attempt on the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner.
Ijele said, “Election should not be treated as a war, nor should it be a matter of life and death. If the election was won fairly and transparently, then the legal process should be allowed to run its course without interference.
“However, it is unacceptable for thugs, in their high numbers yesterday, to be subjected to fake protests, insisting that on no account should forensic teams be allowed to do their jobs.
“We are grateful for the timely intervention of the Army, as the man and his family could have been wiped out overnight. The attackers also burnt his vehicles and took other valuables. This kind of behavior is not acceptable in a democratic society.
“Those individuals who have been involved in these attacks on INEC REC must be held accountable for their actions.
“We call for all those who have been involved in the protests, inciting violence and making provocative statements, to be apprehended and brought to justice.”
