Rescheduled Polls: Kogi PDP Stakeholders raise alarm over insecurity
By Ahead of the Saturday’s rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Kogi State on Wednesday raised fresh alarm over the frightening political tension in the state and demanded for extra security measures in the state.
Addressing news men in Abuja yesterday after the Stakeholders meeting, the Chairman of PDP in Kogi State, Mr Samuel Uhuotu lamented that, ‘violence, thuggery, arson, kidnapping and extra judicial killings’ have become the order of the day in the state ahead of the elections.”
He disclosed that no fewer than seven PDP members in the state have been shot to death,with several others in hospitals, while so many houses have been destroyed by thugs believed to be sympathetic to the ruling APC in the state.
At the stakeholders’ media conference, where two former governors of the state, Alhaji Idris Ibrahim Idris and Captain Idris Wada, former acting governor of the state, Hon. Clarence Olafemi, Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, Mr Yomi Awoniyi, former deputy governor of the state and some House of Representatives were in attendance.
They appealed to the National Peace Committee under the leadership of General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser, the Service Chiefs, to pay special attention to the frightening situation in Kogi State.
The PDP stakeholders claimed that the whole apparatus of the State Government had been fully mobilized and were being deployed to perpetuate violence, thuggery, arson, kidnapping, extra judicial killings and horrendous dislocation of the lives of the citizenry in Kogi State in the build-up to and during the forthcoming general elections.
According to them: “We wish to alert the whole nation that the APC-led government in Kogi state has literally declared war on the citizenry in the name of preparation of elections.”
“The acts of intimidation and unleashing of terror by the All Progressives Congress (APC) have become increasingly brazen, reckless, monstrous and ominously dangerous.”
“We believe that this sordid and unwarranted situation of a State-sponsored violence would have been effectively contained if the Security Agencies had heeded to our cry and indeed the cry of all Kogi indigenes to confront and check this monster.”
“The Entire law abiding indigenes of Kogi deserve to live in peace and be allowed to carry out their civic responsibilities peacefully without any intimidation and coercion. This is all that we ask for. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“The APC administration has distributed fake police and military uniforms to their thugs which they use to terrorize all the opposition party members especially the PDP members, as was the case with the flagrant invasion and intimidation of PDP Chieftains.”
“On Friday the 15th of February 2019, at about 11 am, mostly hooded APC thugs wearing army camouflage and police uniforms, armed to the teeth with sophisticated weapons, carried a most brazen invasion of the house of the former governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim ldris where a PDP Stakeholders Holders meeting was taking place.”
“These daredevil fake Soldiers and Policemen surrounded the house and forced themselves into the compound but retreated temporarily when it was rumoured that the ‘real’ soldiers have been invited and were on their way. They dispersed only to resurface again after the solders had returned to base.”
“These thugs were not done as, they subjected the dignitaries that were leaving the house to humiliating searches. As if this was not enough, they shot sporadically at the vehicles coming from the house and thereby damaging many vehicles.”
“The vehicle carrying Senator Dino Melaye, AVM Atawodi, Clief John Odawn and Hon M. I. Onimisi were hit with bullets and damaged.”
“On the 16th of February, a former commissioner and PDP member, Ayuba Agayu was attacked by APC thugs led by Kashim Muhammed aka Mopol, Umaru Usman and Mathias Yakubu in Abocho. The thugs also severed the index finger of Amana Idache, a PDP member.”
“The situation in the Central Senatorial District is not different. On the 15th of February the APC thugs were again on the rampage in the entire central Senatorial District where they shot sporadically warning and daring anybody not to come out to vote the following day unless they were going to vote APC.”
“They threatened bodily harm to anybody that refuses to heed their warning.”
“Also on the 15th of February, the family house of the Senatorial candidate of the SDP, Natasha Akpoti, was torched and partly burnt,” he said.
“On a general note, there was a coordinated destruction of Posters and billboards of PDP candidates throughout the Central Senatorial District,” the stakeholders lamented.
The urged the Inspector-General of Police to compel all security agencies especially the Police to maintain demonstrable neutrality in the performance of their duties before and during the forthcoming general elections.
It added: “We are therefore again, appealing to the National Peace Committee under the eminent leadership of General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser, the Service Chiefs, to pay special attention to the frightening situation in Kogi State where the whole apparatus of the State Government had been fully mobilized and are being deployed to perpetuate violence, thuggery, arson, kidnapping, extra judicial killings and horrendous dislocation of the lives of the citizenry in Kogi State in the build-up to and during the forthcoming general elections.”
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