The last time that residents of Kogi State elected their governor on the 16th of November 2019, violence nearly marred the exercise. The election, which returned incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello for his second and final term, was disrupted in many polling units in Lokoja – the state capital – and many other parts of the state.
Thugs brazenly wielding rifles and other lethal weapons chased away voters and electoral officials before stealing ballot boxes. Some of the armed men wore police uniforms and drove around in Toyota Hilux vans, unaffected by official restriction of movement on election day.
Many voters were injured and some lost their lives during and after the elections. Among the four confirmed fatal cases was Acheju Abuh, the Women Leader of the governorship campaign organisation of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was gruesomely killed when suspected thugs doused her house with petrol and set fire to it.
The Centre for Democratic Development(CDD), a civil society organisation, in its report on the election accused security agencies of complicity in the violence and voter intimidation during the election.
The police, however, denied the accusation, saying the marauding thugs were “fake policemen.”
As voters in the north-central Nigerian state return to the polls this Saturday to elect Mr Bello’s successor, there are understandable fears of a replay of the 2019 disaster. Ahead of election day, some skirmishes have been recorded and a life confirmed lost to violence in the state.
In September, a woman died and many others were injured in a clash between the supporters of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) when the SDP candidate, Murtala Ajaka, made a campaign stop in Koton Karfe.
Throughout the electioneering, the APC and SDP have accused each other of stoking violence. Although the woman killed in Koton Karfe was reported to be a member of the ruling APC, the SDP said APC supporters launched the attack against its supporters at the rally addressed by Mr Ajaka.
Farouq Adejoh-Audu, the spokesperson for Mr Ajaka, reported the incident as an attack on the SDP candidate and his supporters.
He said after shooting at the crowd, the attackers descended on the venue of the rally to destroy the chairs, podium and other campaign equipment.
However, the APC said it was the SDP candidate who was perpetrating violence ahead of the election.
The police also accused Mr Ajaka of not conducting his campaign in a manner that engendered peace, saying he had refused to carry the police along, unlike the other candidates.
Two weeks ago, the SDP again alleged that APC thugs attacked its rally at St Matthews Primary School in Ejule Kogi, in Ofu Area Council of the state. The spokesperson said thugs again destroyed canopies, chairs, public address systems and the podium set up for the rally.
Mr Adejoh-Audu said many persons were injured in the attack.
But Kingsley Fanwo, the spokesperson for the APC campaign council, again denied the allegations.
“We are not ready to join issues with SDP because doing so is glorifying them more so that we won’t be dragged into their frivolities, gasping lies and lack of direction,” Mr Fanwo said.
“As a government, our concern and responsibility is to create an enabling environment for all to pursue their normal businesses.”
Source: Premium Times
No comments:
Post a Comment