A group, the Audu/Faleke Political Structure, has urged Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) to stop playing dirty politics with the ongoing Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
Addressing a press conference in Lokoja on Monday, the Head of Secretariat, Audu/Faleke Political Structure, Emmanuel Ekele, accused the Alhaji Sule Iyaji-led Kogi East Critical Stakeholders of blackmailing the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu.
The group urged Kogi East Critical Stakeholders, whom they described as “ethnic warlords” to leave President Bola Tinubu and Prince Shuaibu Audu out of Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
They added that in their desperation, the stakeholder have shown lack of respect for constituted authority as their blackmail and frivolous allegation knows no bound.
“The Honourable Minister, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu has no business, absolutely no business interfering in the ongoing Kogi State Gubernatorial Election tribunal which is part of the electoral process. It is also not within his purview hence it is needless to threaten him of any consequences over what you imagine which does not even exist in the first instance. May we also warn Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) to be mindful of criminal intimidation.
“The Honourable Minister Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu has strong faith in our judiciary and wish to advice Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) to desist from speculations and casting aspersion on the judiciary which is very wrong and misleading.
“We want to remind Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) that the Honourable Minister, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu is not a lawyer neither a judge nor a party at the election petition tribunal, they should focus on their legal team and let him be. The Honourable Minister is a law abiding citizen and the issues at the election petition tribunal is not before him.
“The Honourable Minister is concerned at this time with his primary task of reviving the Steel Sector for the good of the nation’s economy and has really no time for the imagined accusations. He was only appointed as Director General of the Governorship Election Campaign by his party the APC. The Election is over and he has since returned to his office.
“May we call on the DSS to invite this group to show justification for blackmailing the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This group of ethnic war lords must be made to understand that freedom of speech is not a call for sweeping and unsubstantiated allegations. This is a case that can go as far as Supreme Court why all the panicking and blackmail from this point. The action of Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) may not be healthy for our judicial system,” Ekele said.
Ekele stated that KECS are bent on continuous lies and blackmail pretending to be concerned about the people of Kogi East but are pursuing their personal agenda by exploring the emotions of the people while their stories are heavily hinged on deliberate falsehood and lies to mislead the unsuspecting public.
“They are frivolous and sweeping allegations and deliberate mischief that cannot be substantiated with any proof or evidence.
“It is very sad, unfortunate and alien to our culture that a man of the status and age of Alhaji Sule Iyaji who should be a respected elder full of wisdom in the management of issues would allow himself to be brainwashed and badly compromised to the point of throwing caution, decorum and wisdom to the dustbin to dance naked in the market place in a desperate bid to attempt to pull down a promising young man in an obvious evil extension and continuation of the hatred he had for his father (Late Prince Abubakar Audu) whom he (Sule Iyaji) hated with passion and fought while he lived until his demise but could not defeat him. Unfortunately in their conspiracy they failed to establish valid reasons for their hatred except their fabricated lies and assumptions for what they presume he intends to do. Gentlemen of the Press, can mere assumption be enough ground for grievous allegations?
“What baffles us most is why will a body who call themselves Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) not call their own son for a meeting if they feel or suspect something could be wrong instead of going to the public domain to attempt to pull him down on ordinary assumptions which only exist in their own imagination if not mischief.
“The Honourable minister with his humble disposition will respectfully honour an invitation from such a group and we are very sure clarifications would be made and resolutions reached for the common good of all but they prefer otherwise. Even when the Honourable Minister sent a message to Alhaji Sule Iyaji of his intention to pay him a visit, a man of his status and age would have waited for the visit to raise issues if any and seek clarification but he was in a hurry to undertake his voyage of mischief with his collaborators and sponsors in an attempt to pull a young man that could be his son down for no justifiable reason,” he added.
The Audu/Faleke group warned Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) against undemocratic tendencies as exhibited in their relentless bid to box everyone into one corner even against their wishes.
They advised Kogi East Critical Stakeholders to stop issuing threats people as this act portrays their disposition to violence.
“They should allow people to be themselves and should also know that threatening people without justification amount to criminal intimidation which is an offence under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“At this juncture may we put it on record that if anything happens to the Honourable minister and or any of his supporters Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) should be held liable.”
