Senator representing Kogi East, Atai Aidoko Ali has threatened to resort to court action if the Chief Of Staff to Kogi state governor, Edward Onoja fail to recant his misleading statement over the activities of his thugs and hired mercenaries on the people of Olamaboro and its environs.
Onoja, as reported by some online medium, claimed to have been attacked by Senator Aidoko’s thugs at the Okpo collation centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the February 23rd election.
Reacting to the report, Senator Aidoko said Onoja and his thugs stormed the collation centre at Olamaboro, shooting sporadically to scare away the supporters and security aides to the senator during the collation process for the national assembly and presidential elections held in the area.
According to the senator, Onoja engaged thugs and a killer squad a day before the election that criss-crossed the three wards in Ogugu district and stole electoral materials only to return the already thumb printed for APC candidates in the last election.
He alleged that similar scenario was replicated by Onoja at Imane district with the assistance of Kogi state government sponsored thugs and security agents with active connivance of the local government council administrator.
The Federal lawmaker stated further that efforts to manipulate the electoral process of Edward Onoja through forged items from Imane and Ogugu in favour of APC was vehemently resisted by him and it led to gun battle between Onoja’s hired thugs and security aides attached to him as a senator.
He alleged that the compromised INEC officials later accepted the forged and thumb printed ballot papers, after a lot of arguments, just to make sure Onoja and his thugs as well as political followers deliver Olamaboro to APC.
Senator Aidoko said the swift change of the story of threat to his life by APC thugs, courtesy of the Edward Onoja’s killer squad, was just a mere face saving measure. He insisted that the area was, including his immediate ward, Iga, was under siege.
“The story of the so called Zekeri is better known to them and his political cohorts and apologists whose intention is to sway the story to attract the sympathy of the public and needless attention. The boy in question is a known cultist engaged by the chief of staff and had unresolved issues with his fellow cultists. How is that the business of Kogi East Senator, aside the usual attempt to frame up innocent people by the state government?,” he queried.
Senator Aidoko stated that Alhaji Alfa (alias Madije) mentioned in the fabricated story was his Director General of his re-election campaign team and ardent supporter who is not known for all the vices mentioned in the smear campaign to tarnish the image he had built over the years.
“Political affiliates of Edward Onoja had planned to kill him on the day of the incidence at the collation centre, using the hired thugs, but were resisted my security details.”
He urged the general public to disregard the cooked stories meant to soothe the desperate and criminal activities of Onoja and his blind followers.
