- Kogi state governor has accused two PDP ex-governors of importing thugs into the state to disrupt the bye-election
- The governor alleged that the thugs were recruited from Nasarawa and Bayelsa
With less that 24 hours to the House of Representatives by-election in Lokoja/Kotonkarfe constituency, the Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, on Friday, August 10, raised the alarm over influx of political thugs allegedly imported by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to disrupt the exercise.
He specifically accused two ex-governors of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, popularly known as Ibro and Captain Idris Wada of spearheading the agenda.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Odaudu Joel Minister, said the political thugs were recruited from Toto in Nassarawa state, Bayelsa state, and other parts of the Niger Delta.
He advised the public, especially Kogi citizens within the constituency to be security conscious and report unusual migration or movement of unfamiliar faces within their territories to security agents who are already on the watch.
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The statement reads: “The attention of Kogi state government has been drawn to an ugly development where some desperate elements of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have imported thugs from Toto in Nassarawa state, Bayelsa state, and other parts of the Niger Delta into Kogi state to disrupt the Lokoja/Kotonkarfe House of Representatives by-election scheduled to hold tomorrow Saturday, 11th August, 2018.
“Former Governors Ibrahim Idris (Ibro) and Captain Idris Wada are spearheads of this nefarious agenda. The Kogi state government vehemently condemn this evil agenda in its entirety. We understand from our deliberate social reforms that if such acts are allowed, it will take our democratic calendar back by centuries.
“We hereby call on all lovers of democracy, friends of Kogi state government, indigenes of progressive mindset and security agencies to stay alert to their antics.
“We are putting all mechanisms in place from our end to ensure the entire process is peaceful and orderly and safe for every voter to exercise their franchise.
“The general public is hereby notified to be security conscious and report unusual migration or movement of unfamiliar faces within their territories to the dispatch of security agents who are already on the watch."
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NAIJ.com earlier reported that some lawmakers in the Kogi state National Assembly have cried out over their inability to visit their constituencies due to alleged intimidation by Governor Yahaya Bello.
Not less than eight of the twelve federal lawmakers in a joint press statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, July 31, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the governor in the interest of the state and the country's democracy.
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Source: Naija.ng