Kogi Guber: APC Demands Immediate Arrest Of SDP Gov Candidate, Muri Ajaka

Kogi Guber: APC Demands Immediate Arrest Of SDP Gov Candidate, Muri Ajaka

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State is demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, the Governorship Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the November 11 governorship poll.

The APC campaign council spokesperson, Kingsley Fanwo, held a press conference in Lokoja where he alleged that Ajaka was responsible for orchestrating an attack on the residence of Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner Gabriel Longpet. According to Fanwo, the attackers engaged security agents in a fierce gun battle and subsequently set fire to some vehicles in the commissioner’s residence.

Fanwo also claimed that the same individuals attempted to burn down the Kogi State Government House, but were unsuccessful due to the intervention of security agents.

His words, “The bold-face criminality being perpetrated by the defeated SDP candidate and his violent gang of criminals is as a result of the lack of consequences over the gruesome killing of Khadijat at Kotonkarfe by agents of the SDP. 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 guts to attempt to attack the Kogi Resident Electoral Commissioner.

“The reason they are desperate to destroy some documents in INEC is to cover the heist they committed in Kogi East where they killed APC supporters and drove them out of collation centres to forge the results that were eventually trumped by the massive votes of Kogites for the Governor-Elect.

“They are attempting to corrupt certain documents in INEC before handing them to their legal team. We have no problem allowing legal terms to access documents and materials. It is the norm. But we won’t allow any desperate bloodthirsty politician to tamper with the true verdict of the Kogi people.

“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. Now is the time to arrest Muritala Yakubu Ajaka before he throws Kogi into a state of anomie”.

Fanwo expressed concern about the situation, emphasizing that democracy should reflect the will of the people. He called upon the police, Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies to promptly apprehend Muritala Yakubu Ajaka in order to prevent anarchy in Kogi State.

Fanwo further alleged that Ajaka, the SDP, and both internal and external collaborators have imported dangerous thugs into the state, with the intention of causing violence, harm, and destruction to critical infrastructure.

“We call on security agencies to ensure those imported to kill our citizens are immediately fished out and prosecuted. We also call on Governor Yahaya Bello to ensure our people are protected from assassins and arsonists brought into our dear state to ensure the flow of blood. How desperate can Muritala Yakubu Ajaka be?

“The violence witnessed in Kogi East because of the desperation of Muritala Yakubu Ajaka was not witnessed in the West and Central.

“He turned himself into an outlaw, attacking the opposition, killing opposition members and boasting to go free because of his mouthed connection with certain powerful people. Kogi must not be allowed to become a lawless place and the only solution now is to use Muritala Yakubu Ajaka as a Scapegoat,” he stated.

Their ultimate goal appears to be to incite a total breakdown of law and order in Kogi State.

In response to these allegations, the Director of New Media Muri/Sam Campaign Council for SDP, Isaiah Davies Ijele, condemned the assassination attempt on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner.

Ijele said, “Election should not be treated as a war, nor should it be a matter of life and death. If the election was won fairly and transparently, then the legal process should be allowed to run its course without interference.

“However, it is unacceptable for thugs, in their high numbers yesterday, to be subjected to fake protests, insisting that on no account should forensic teams be allowed to do their jobs.

“We are grateful for the timely intervention of the Army, as the man and his family could have been wiped out overnight. The attackers also burnt his vehicles and took other valuables. This kind of behavior is not acceptable in a democratic society.

“Those individuals who have been involved in these attacks on INEC REC must be held accountable for their actions.

“We call for all those who have been involved in the protests, inciting violence and making provocative statements, to be apprehended and brought to justice.”