• APC demands arrest of SDP candidate Ajaka over incident
• Says party trying to cover ‘heist committed in Kogi East’
• We are not responsible for attack, SDP insists
• Don’t burn state over defeat bitterness, say youths, women
• Police confirm attack on INEC official’s home
Kogi State was enveloped in palpable tension yesterday following gunmen’s attack on the residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet, in the early hours of the day.
News of the attack was broken in a statement shared on the X account of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) where pictures of vehicles and other items destroyed in Longpet’s compound were displayed.
A statement on the X account of the electoral body said: “In the early hours of today, Friday 1st December, 2023, around 3.30 am, gunmen attacked the residence of our Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lokoja, Kogi State.
“The armed men engaged the security personnel in a gun battle for over 30 minutes until reinforcement arrived. While no lives were lost, property was destroyed in the ensuing gun battle.”
The statement, which noted that the incident occurred a day after a mob besieged the Kogi State office of INEC, revealed that a team of combined security personnel had been deployed to protect the REC’s residence.
The attack on the REC’s residence occurred 20 days after the governorship election held in the state on November 11 was won by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Usman Ododo.
Ododo, had polled 446,237 votes in the election to beat his closest rival and candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Murtala Ajaka, who scored 259,052 votes.
Some protesters spotting branded shirts of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) were said to have besieged the INEC office in Lokoja on Wednesday, accusing the commission of working with the state government to tamper with election materials.
One of the protesters, who identified himself as Danjuma, had said that they were sure the materials at the INEC office had been compromised by the APC, vowing that those who stole the people’s mandate must not live to enjoy it.
APC demands arrest of SDP candidate Ajaka
Reacting to yesterday’s attack on the REC’s residence, the Kogi State All Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Council called on the police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to immediately arrest what it described as the slide to anarchy in the state by arresting the SDP candidate Ajaka and his supporters for allegedly masterminding the attack.
The APC Campaign Council noted that the attack was carried out days after it alerted the nation of plans by SDP thugs to attack INEC.
“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 Director of Media and Publicity/Spokesperson for the campaign council, Kingsley Fanwo, said at an emergency press briefing yesterday.
“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,” he added.
APC also alleged that the SDP in the state and their collaborators were desperate to destroy some documents in INEC to cover the heist they committed in Kogi East where they allegedly 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.”
The campaign council alleged that the SDP candidate and his collaborators were trying 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,” Fanwo declared.
He noted that “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,” adding that they had imported thugs from neighbouring states into Kogi.
Fanwo, who accused Khadijat’s killers of coming out to say that she was bearing an arm, regretted that her assailants have been roaming free since she was killed.
He believes that if Khadijat’s killers had been arrested for killing an innocent woman, they would not have had the guts to attempt an attack on the Kogi Resident Electoral Commissioner.
The APC campaign spokesperson said: “We 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.
“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 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.
“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 Murtala Yakubu 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.
“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 to an outlaw, attacking the opposition, killing opposition members and boasting to go free because of his mouthed connection with certain powerful people.”
Attack masterminded by thugs loyal to Gov Bello, says SDP
In a swift reaction yesterday, the SDP absolved the party of any blame in the attack, claiming it was masterminded by “thugs who are loyal to Governor Yahaya Bello”.
“We strongly condemn the assassination attempt on the INEC Resident Commissioner for Kogi state, Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet, which took place in Lokoja at approximately 2:00 am this morning, December 1st, 2023,” the party said in a statement by the Director, New Media, Muri/ Sam Campaign Organisation David Ijele.
Ijele regretted the attack, saying: “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 subject to fake protests, insisting that on no account should forensic teams be allowed to do their jobs.”
The SDP chieftain thanked security agencies for their “timely intervention” which he said forestalled the assailant from further damage.
“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,” he added.
Don’t burn state over defeat bitterness, say youths, women
Youths and women from across the three senatorial districts of the state have called on the candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the November 11 gubernatorial election, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, and his supporters not to burn down the state over the candidate’s inability to come to terms with what they called his overwhelming defeat.
The youths said the state belonged to all indigenes and residents alike irrespective of political, tribal or religious leanings, adding that nothing must be allowed to affect the peace they had enjoyed for over seven years under the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello.
The youths and women who marched through the major streets of Lokoja in a peaceful protest yesterday said the last governorship election in the state was the freest and fairest in its history of the state but urged aggrieved parties who might still want to contest its outcome to go about it in line with laid down guidelines instead of harassing the electoral umpire and the opposition.
One of the protesters, identifying himself as Dele, called on security agencies to rise to the occasion and preserve the peace that had been enjoyed in the state, while also imploring the Governor-elect, Usman Ododo, to ensure that the incumbent’s legacies in the area of security were sustained.
“Muritala Ajaka and these few SDP supporters should not overheat the polity unnecessarily. We take serious exception to these actions of wanting to burn down the state. Elections have come and gone and someone has won. If you’re aggrieved, follow the right channel,” the protester said.
Another protester, who spoke on behalf of the young women, Ireti olukomogbon, noted that they were surprised that the SDP candidate was trying to set the people against INEC over his incessant and unfounded allegations against the electoral umpire.
She said the election of November 11 in Kogi was free and fair while appealing to the SDP candidate and supporters to embrace peace and work together with the candidate that has emerged.
“Kogi people have shown clearly that they stand with the Kogi Agenda with their votes. If you’re aggrieved, go to court the proper way. As for the youths and women demography, we will support Alhaji Usman Ododo to succeed,” she said.
Police confirm attack on INEC REC’s residence in Kogi
The police in Kogi State yesterday confirmed the attack on the residence of INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner.
Confirming the attack, the Commissioner of Police, Bethrand Onuoha, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja that the incident as very unfortunate and wicked.
Onuoha explained that the attackers came to the residence around 3.00 a.m. on Friday but met stiff resistance from security operatives.
“The joy of it all is that the hoodlums did not succeed in their nefarious act as my officers gallantly repelled their attack and burnt the vehicle they came with.
“Right now there are soldiers stationed in the house alongside our personnel to keep watch and ensure safety.
“Again all the junctions around the house and INEC office have heavily armed soldiers and policemen keeping watch to forestall any eventuality.
“We want to assure the public that there’s no cause for alarm as we, the security operatives, are on top of the situation in Kogi,” he said.
