By Stephen Adeleye.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi, retired Commodore Folusho Daniel, on Tuesday, urged voters in Kogi West senatorial district to ensure they defend their votes.
In a statement issued in Lokoja, Daniel appealed to eligible voters in the state to turnout en masse to cast their votes and not be intimidated by the large number of security personnel deployed by the ruling party.
“The law is that there should be no armed security personnel near the voting arena. Anyone found to be contravening the law should be rounded up and handed over to the appropriate quarters,” the party chieftain said.
According to him, next Saturday’s House of Assembly Election in Kogi is not going to be a tea party.
Daniel said that though the ruling party in the state was determined win the election at all cost, the electorate should use their votes to remove the ineffective government from power.
He alleged that the APC government had mobilised to disrupt the electoral process in order to have the exercise declared inconclusive.
“The objective is to settle for a rerun that will be heavily militarised thereafter.
“Where thugs are not immediately available, members of the ruling party are to cause pandemonium in their units so as to prevent counting of votes to any logical conclusion wherever they perceive failure,” he said.
The PDP chieftain, a former member of the Kogi House of Assembly, alleged further that INEC staff and security agents in the state had been compromised.
He also said that the coming election would also witness very many fake security agents and thugs in the state to execute the plan of the ruling party.
“Arbitrary arrests of strong members of the main opposition party in the state by the police is part of the overall game plan.
“We must be courageous and stand firm to defend our votes,” Daniel said
