The Social Democratic Party, SDP, has raised the alarm that the political activities ahead of the Kogi governorship election have been marred by violence.
Its National Secretary, Dr Olu Agunloye, said in a statement made available to Vanguard in Akure, said that since INEC announced the scheduled election in Kogi state political activities have been marred by unwarranted violence, arsons, destruction of property and extrajudicial killings.
Agunloye alleged that “under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello, there have been brazen demonstrations of hate and extreme political intolerance.
“Nigerians and security enforcement forces and their Service Chiefs have witnessed situations in Kogi State wherein non-state actors usually camouflage in Police or military uniforms and armed with quasi-security military kits just to carry out unwholesome repressive acts against innocent citizens and to intimidate the opposition parties.
“The eve of recklessness in the violence, arsons, and extrajudicial killings n Kogi State became so brutal that the SociaI Democratic Party (SDP) and Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC had to send separate petitions to the President,the Inspector General of Police and all the Service Chiefs.
“However, two consequent developments in Kogi State have arisen which form the subject matter of this write-up.
“The first is the emergence of a credible and popular alternative to the Governor Bello dynasty.
” The second is the popularisation of this alternative especially by the uncanny contributions of Governor Yahaya Bello which make this popularisation to spread like wild fire in strong winds.
Agunloye said that the ” emergence of a credible alternative to succeed the outgoing Governor Bello has now been established by the statewide acceptance of one of the SDP Governorship Candidates, Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka.
He noted that Ajaka “is widely received by the people of Kog State. In practical terms, his demonstration of his dedication to public service and a deep understanding of the intricacies of governance is evident from the meticulous way he has planned his campaign programmes and his well-articulated mission for a new Kogi State centred on creating and sharing wealth as a hub of industry,tourism,ICT developments and creativity.
“The “Murifcation”of Kogi State is a coloquial coinage to describe the springing up of the mass appeal across Kogi State for Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka who they fondly call “Muri”.
“In various groups and communities,
it is common to hear things like ‘this campus or that Local Government has become“Murified.
“’The multidimensional processes which throw up more and more people who have become attracted to or fixated on the Muri candidature are what have been termed as“Murification”. As we shall show later, the chief promoter for the Murificaton of Kogi State is no less than His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello himself.
Agunloye condemned the attack of the party’s candidate during courtesy visits to Kogi State First Class traditional Rulers ,which almost cost Alhaji Ajaka his life.
“Ajaka and team scampered to safety and headed back to Abuja. This shameful show of reckless power was not only recorded in videos but streamed live on Facebook.
He said this “immediately catapulted him into the top of the mind awareness of Kogi people and Nigeria at large.
” The people of Kogi State understood this and became only more “Murified”.
Several youths became Murified at this stage and signed up to work for the Muri candidature.
The party also, expressed concern over the destruction of Ajakas Secretariat and the stage-managed defection of ” of non-existent ‘SDP State Excos.
“The Governor, in a most elaborate, expensive,and widely publicised event on 11 August 2023 personally received phantom ‘SDP Excos’, claiming they had defected to the APC to boost his efforts for his preferred Governorship Candidate who publicly referred to himself as “a married woman”.
” The group of Governor Belo’s ghost “SDP Excos” was led by one Mr. Suleiman Isah, a well-known APC member.
Agunloye said.that “none of the members of the Bello’s Yahoo Pus Exco paraded on Television was a member of SDP or its Executive Committee (Exco) at the State or LG level as can be
verified from the authentic list with INEC.
“So, the question is why has the incumbent outgoing governor of Kogi State descended so Iow to spend taxpayers’ money to disguise his own APC members as ghost members of SDP Excos to shore up his dwindling chances to win the State for his protegee?
“The Governor’s counterproductive efforts are like attempts to change the course of a hurricane wind; they have only resulted in promoting SDP Murtala Yakubu Ajaka as the next Governor of Kogi State as the Purification process has now taken a life of own, fully turbo
charged and rapidly propelling itself.
The party’s secretary noted that the people of Kogi have “solemnly pitched their tents with Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka who is focused on a development Agenda to create and spread wealth in the State.
Agunloye said that the governor “by his own intrinsic habits and impulses, has effectively carried the Murification process beyond the borders of Kogi State into his Party’s (APC) National Working Committee, the APC National Secretariat and even into the Presidency.
