The senator representing Kogi East in the National Assembly, Isah Jibrin Echocho escaped being lynched by thugs at Government House Lokoja on Tuesday.
The senator while narrating his ordeal in the hands of the thugs said the police rescue him from what would have been a bad news
The lawmaker, in a telephone interview with the National Update on Tuesday said the incident happened immediately after a meeting with Governor Yahaya Bello outside his office.
Echocho said himself, Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) and other All Progressives Congress (APC) federal lawmakers from the state had gone to pay homage to the governor after the festive season.
He said the thugs singled him out of other legislators and pounced on him, accusing him of being responsible for APC’s poor performance in the last governorship election in Kogi East senatorial district.
Though APC’s Usman Ododo won the election with 446, 237 votes, his main challenger, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who came second, won majority of his 259,052 votes in Kogi East senatorial district.
Both Ajaka and Echocho are from Kogi East senatorial district.
Shortly after the election Governor Bello had lashed out at his appointees whom he claimed betrayed him, he also took on Echocho in a viral video saying after helped him to become a Senator for the second time, he failed to deliver in the governorship election.
Continuing with his narrative of the attack in government House, Echocho said the attackers blamed him for not working for the success of APC in Kogi East during the poll.
The lawmaker, however, said he did not suffer any injury as the police officers present provided him security and he had since returned to Abuja safely.
Narrating how the incident happened, the senator said, “I was attacked by thugs in Government House Lokoja but the Police rescued me.
“What happened was that all APC senators and the House of Representatives members from the state visited the governor on a courtesy call for the New Year.
“Being one of them, I was not left out. We went up and we had some brief meeting with the governor, though he expressed dissatisfaction over APC performance in Kogi East (my senatorial district) in the last governorship election.
“I told the governor that I tried all I could to convince my people to vote the APC. I campaigned vigorously for APC in Kogi East but the people were resolute in voting another candidate despite my efforts.
“It is not as if APC performed woefully in the election in Kogi East. There were pockets of LGs and wards that we won. There was no other thing I could have done beyond what I did.
‘We exchanged pleasantries with the governor, took group photograph and left.
“As we were coming out, in front of the governor’s office, the thugs pounced on me, that I was responsible for APC’s failure in Kogi East.
“To my surprise they brought out knives and other dangerous weapon to attack me but police officers around were able to rescue me inside my vehicle and we zoomed off. I thank God I didn’t suffer any injury. The police were able to provide sufficient security.”
When asked if the governor was aware of the attack, he said: “the governor cannot descend so low and send thugs to attack me.
“The governor has spoken with me after the attack, and he assured that the thugs would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law, but I told him not to worry since I’m safe.”
