Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the Kogi state governorship elections, Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, has reiterated his absolute confidence in the resolve of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a transparently free and fair election on November 11, 2023.
Ajaka made this known while addressing a meeting of party stakeholders in Abuja on Saturday.
The governorship candidate said himself and the party leadership had taken time to exhaustively examine the measures against electoral fraud introduced by the commission and are satisfied that the votes of the electorate will ultimately prevail.
He said his campaign was rather concerned with the desperation of Governor Yahaya Bello in “abusing the authority of his sacred office to foist anarchy on the state through arming of thugs and procuring security agents to create an atmosphere of fear and terror before the elections.”
Ajaka said that it is unfortunate that the state governor had now abandoned his oath of office to protect the lives and properties of citizens to be compromising the official security personnel of state and turning them into political thugs.
The SDP candidate said he was still shocked that a thug pursued into the bush and arrested by his security operatives last Wednesday night after a failed ambush turned out to be a serving Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
Ajaka recalled with dread how he ran into a blockade by the thugs who opened sporadic gun fire on his convoy that Wednesday night but were repelled by his gallant security details who chased the thugs into the bush even as their kingpin, one Friday Makama a fugitive declared wanted by the Federal High Court escaped.
“I was shocked when the one caught in the bush started begging and crying out that he’s a police officer detailed to follow the thugs by his superior.
“We know the outgoing governor is desperate and will compromise all those who are willing to be corrupted but the INEC measures against fraud and manipulation are too full proof for anyone to undermine.
“All our supporters should disregard any alarm of crooks reconfiguring BVAS devices. It’s just not possible. We have total confidence in the ability of INEC to secure our votes,” Ajaka told the meeting.
