Stakeholders in Kogi State, especially from Kogi-East, have condemned the alleged instigation of violence in the senatorial district by the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, saying it was capable of disenfranchising voters in the zone and working against serious contenders from Kogi-East.
The stakeholders, who spoke on behalf of thousands of Igala sons and daughters across the zone, and Kogites, generally, who are members of the Kogi-East Patriotic Association, accused Ajaka of needless and reckless propaganda, being stage-managed at the expense of security in the area.
They spoke at an emergency press briefing held in Abuja on Thursday, in reaction to what they termed the latest spurious allegation of attempted assassination by the SDP candidate and the involvement of a Police officer, who was allegedly severely injured by thugs.
The stakeholders, who said they were not campaigning for any candidate in the forthcoming governorship election, noted that Kogi State indigenes and Nigerians were aware that other governorship candidates from opposition parties had been going about their campaigns without bloodshed or violence, but that the SDP and its candidate had, unfortunately, allegedly made orchestrated bloodshed the hallmark of their campaign.
“Each time Ajaka goes out, it is always blood, crying and tears for Kogites. Is he the only governorship candidate in Kogi State? Certainly not,” they declared.
The Convener, Kogi East Patriotic Association, Abdulkadir Ojonugwa, who addressed the press on behalf of others, said, “We have never had a governorship candidate as unruly and crude as the SDP candidate, Muritala Yakubu, in the history of Kogi State politics.
“His handlers are also as clueless and have failed to realise that while elections would go on smoothly in other parts of the state and others would record more wins, their gameplan would only decimate the votes in Kogi East at the detriment of serious contenders. And we say no to this. Enough is enough.”
They accused him of creating tension in the region even after he had refused to honour Police invitations and threatened to effect a citizens’ arrest “and hand him over to the Police” if the horrible trend continues.
“Our people are getting fed up with all these violent shenanigans and if the Police and the state government refuse to do the needful, the people of Kogi East will have no choice than to effect a citizens’ arrest of Ajaka and hand him over to the relevant authorities before he kills all of us for his inordinate ambition,” Ojonugwa, who is from Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi East, said.
On the Police officer in the purported video of assault, the stakeholders noted, “The Police officer seen in that video would have been made to say things under duress to save his own life because that was the only way that man could still be alive today.
“We could hear clearly as the thugs were shouting to be allowed to kill a police officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria inside a Police Station and turning around to blame all that on the state government.”
The Kogi East stakeholders stated, “As bona-fide citizens of Kogi State from Kogi East, it is our desire to see a peaceful and credible election in our dear state. We have been monitoring developments in the state since the beginning of the campaign for the Kogi State governorship election and the trend of campaign of ethnic divisionism and violence has not escaped our attention.
“Our sense of urgency in arranging for this emergency Press Conference was further heightened by the violence we witnessed yesterday in Kogi State whereby a senior Police officer was almost lynched allegedly by the thugs of the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party under the spurious claims that he was involved in an attack against the convoy of Mr Murtala Ajaka.
“First, we must call on the highest authorities of the Nigeria Police to swiftly arrest all individuals who were involved in that dastardly act. If you watch that video closely, you will hear some people shouting ‘let us kill this idiot. You will die today’ and so on. And to think that they succeeded in gaining access inside the Idah Police station and almost succeeded in killing that Police Officer inside the Police station was more than scary and so unfathomable.”
“In this man’s desperation to be governor, he doesn’t seem to care how many lives can be lost and the extent of destruction that can pave the way to get him there. He has perfected the means of engaging in propaganda to blame every violence he orchestrates on the state’s government but every Kogite no longer buys his story. What happened yesterday was a stage-managed bloody violence scripted by Mr Ajaka and his committee of thugs,” they stated.
The stakeholders added that no matter the alleged “evil propaganda and lies manufactured daily by Ajaka and his cohorts”, Kogi East votes had already been dedicated to those deserving of the votes.
“Even amongst us in Igala land, we know who we can trust. But we’re not here to campaign for anybody but to warn those whose stock in trade is orchestrating violence and playing the victim that they can’t put all of us at risk because of their unpopular ambition.
“We stand for peace, justice and credible election on November 11 and whoever will make that impossible must be caged by security agents before that time. The continued security, peace and prosperity of Kogi State is our ultimate desire and we will do everything to make it happen.
“We condemn politics of ethnic bigotry and violence in all ramifications. We are educated, knowledgeable and reasonable people in Kogi East and we will not tolerate dishonorable conduct from any politician even if he is our brother or sister,” they declared.
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