Kogi Election: PDP raises alarm as SARS arrests members

Barely three weeks to the Kogi governorship election scheduled for November 16, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Tuesday raised an alarm over alleged invasion of Abocho in Dekina Local Government Area of the state by police officers from the State Command.

The party alleged that the state government in agreement with the SARS Commander in the state, Ibrahim Babagana led notorious thugs into Abocho in Dekina and some other areas of Kogi East, where they arrested and brutalised its members.

A statement by the Deputy Director of Public Communication of the party in the state, Austin Okai claimed that the attack was aimed at discouraging the electorates from extending supports to PDP in the forthcoming election.

The statement reads: “This deadly activities led by the commander SARS in the state, CSP Ibrahim Abba Gana in arrangement with imported thugs of the APC, are daily harassing members of the main opposition party to drop their support or be killed

“This dastardly act has the backing of the state government, Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Busari and other organs of state security outfit led by CSP Ibrahim Abba Gana.”

PDP said the intention of the state government in conjunction with the armed thugs and the police SARS was to extend similar exercise round Kogi East, Kogi West and Kogi Central to demobilise the main opposition party into carrying out electioneering campaigns.

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“Our members were been arrested, abducted and kidnapped by the state government paid thugs and the police, powered by the state commissioner of police and CSP Abba Gana Ibrahim of SARS,” he said.

PDP warned on the consequences of reprisals from the PDP, saying “If the police chief at the state and federal level does not rescind its actions and that of his men who are working tirelessly to return the unpopular governor,Yahaya Bello.”

The party said it has raised several alarms on the deadly activities of the APC as the ruling party both in Kogi and federal level, in their predetermined intention to force Yahaya Bello back on the people of the state

PDP said it is also of “knowledge and concluded plans by the police and APC thugs to attack and ambush PDP members who are going or returning from campaigns both in the East,West and Central.”

The party said it will not be in the “interest of fair play, for the ruling party to devise several dubious and deadly means of disallowing the party’s canddiate from going about his campaigns.”

The party wondered how unpopular the APC and the state government have become, that the fear of free,fair and credible election is now their nightmare, even though they have boasted of returning to Lugard house with their numerical strenght.”

PDP, therefore, urged the Police authroity to demonstrate the spirit of carrying out the protection of law and order,lives and properties as well as the people of the state before, during and after the election.

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