The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Nigeria Police Force to arrest the sponsors and Perpetrators of Post Election Violence in Kogi state.
APC made the call in a press statement titled “Participating In An Election Is A Democratic Right, Boycotting An Election Is Also A Democratic Right“ issued by the national publicity secretary of the party, Felix Morka, Esq and made available to newsmen.
The party also cautioned the candidates of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Dino Melaye and Social Democratic Party (SDP), Murtala Ajaka, in the last governorship election in Kogi State against inflaming passions and inciting strife.
APC cautioned that their actions and utterances provide a charged atmosphere for escalation of violence in the confluence state.
Morka said while the duo has refused to challenge the outcome of the polls in court which the party‘s candidate, Usman Ododo won, they have continued to instigate bad blood in Kogi.
He said: “The candidate of the PDP, Dino Melaye, has emphatically and publicly declared his decision not to challenge the outcome of the election, according to him, because he has no confidence in the judiciary to fairly adjudicate any dispute he may bring forward.
“On his part, the candidate of the SDP, Murtala Ajaka, stated, on national television, that he will not challenge the election, for reasons similar to that advanced by his opposition counterpart, Dino, that has no confidence in the judiciary, especially as INEC will be a potential witness in the case to justify the outcome of the election.
“In a sudden u-turn, Ajaka, is now reported to have changed his mind and now intends to bring a petition before the Election Petition Tribunal, even though it appears that he is out of time to validly do so.
However, we will leave that for determination by the courts.“
The APC spokesperson condemned the reported attack against the secretary of the Election Tribunal, Mike Umar David, on Monday, December 4, 2023, „in very spurious circumstances“, linking it to the opposition.
„The SDP clearly has a lot of explaining to do regarding this incident. Their utterances and actions, prior to, and since, that incident, betray suspicious special knowledge of the incident.
„Prior to Monday’s incident involving the Tribunal’s Secretary, the residence of the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Gabriel Hale Longpet, was also attacked on Friday, December 1, 2023 by armed hoodlums.
„These and other acts of violence in Kogi state are barbaric, undemocratic and unacceptable. The people of Kogi State deserve to live in peace and security. These sponsored and senseless acts of violence must stop.
„We note and welcome the statement by the Kogi Police Command of an ongoing investigation of the alleged attack on the Secretary to the Election Tribunal and the Resident Electoral Commissioner. We urge the Police to do so thoroughly and expeditiously, and to bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to justice,“ he added.
