Ahead of the November 11 Kogi governorship election, Social Democratic Party (SDP) has raised alarm over an alleged plot by Governor Yahaya Bello to arrest its leaders over trumped up charges bordering on terrorism.
In a statement signed by Director of New Media Muri/Sam Campaign Council, Isaiah Davies Ijele, on Wednesday, the SDP alleged that Governor Bello is planning to utilize illegal governmental means to arrest major stakeholders and leaders of the party by branding them as terrorists.
According to Ijele, a reliable source familiar with Bello’s alleged plot confirmed the Governor is desperate to salvage his failing administration and intends to frame and arrest key leaders of SDP, including the Director General, Muri/Sam Campaign Council, Sheikh Jibril Ibrahim; the Director General of Youths Mobilization, Hon. Ahmed Attah and other members of the campaign council.
“Infact, in a bid to execute his plans, he has secured a court order in order to arrest them. We feel it is essential to bring this information to the attention of the general public. We firmly assert that any attempt to detain our leaders will be met with resistance from the citizens of Kogi State, who are eager for a change in governance.
“The source also revealed that an FCT Anti Kidnap team, led by the OC Anti-Kidnapping, FCT Command, and his thugs has been contracted to carry out these deceitful actions,” he said.
SDP appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, and all relevant security agencies to take swift action and stop Bello and his associates from proceeding with the alleged plot.
“We assert that elections should not be treated as acts of war or matters of life and death. We trust that the relevant authorities will intervene and uphold justice in this matter” the statement added.
Reacting, spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Council, Kingsley Fanwo, dismissed the allegation.
Fanwo noted that the allegations was “another attention-seeking, unimaginatively concocted lie aimed at creating panic and preemptively covering the opposition party’s satanic plans against the Kogi voters.”
“Our attention has been drawn to a spurious allegation by the discredited merchant of falsehood in Kogi politics, the Social Democratic Party, to the effect that Governor Yahaya Bello is planning to arrest SDP leaders over frame-up charges of terrorism. This is another tempo of falsehood from the bottle-size overambitious group.
“Terrorism is a very serious national issue that shouldn’t be ordinarily trivialised by any group, no matter how confused. But the SDP would stop at nothing to push their noses in front as serious contenders when they know they stand no chance whatsoever in the forthcoming Governorship Election.
“If there are plans to terrorise the Kogi people, security agencies will ensure it is scuttled and we are confident that November 11 will make history as the best election day in the history of our dear Confluence State.
“We call on security agencies to as a matter of necessity, urgency and professionalism, invite those behind the reckless and defenceless allegation to provide proofs. Issues like these are capable of spreading fear if not curtailed immediately. As a Campaign Council, we will continue to preach peace and togetherness as well as abide by the provisions of our laws,” Fanwo said.
Fanwo called on security agencies to invite the fiction authors for questioning and to tender empirical facts to support their claims.
