BY Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Campaign Council in Kogi state has called on the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to immediately effect the arrest of Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship candidate in the just concluded November 11 off-cycle election.
In what it described as the slide into anarchy in the state, the APC Campaign Council, said Ajaka and his supporters allegedly masterminded the attack on the residence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lokoja in the early hours of Friday.
Mr Kingsley Femi Fanwo, Director of Media and Publicity/Spokesperson for the Campaign Council, Kingsley Fanwo, who made the allegations at an emergency press briefing on Friday, said SDP was trying desperately to cover the “heist committed in Kogi East” in corrupting INEC documents.
The APC Campaign Council said the attack was perpetrated days after it alerted the nation of plans of SDP thugs to attack INEC.
“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.”
“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 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.
“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. 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.
“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.
“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”, he said.
Fanwo said now was the right time to arrest 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”, Fanwo said. (Ends)