Kogi 2019: INEC, stakeholders’ moves to calm frayed nerves

With about a month to the governorship election in Kogi State, YEKINI JIMOH writes on the anxiety that preceded a stakeholders’ meeting held in the state capital, Lokoja to douse tension.

FOR some time lately, the political atmosphere in Kogi State has taken a more frightening dimension. This was because of the claims and counter-claims by the camps of the candidates of the main political parties: the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over violent incidents, as parties brace up for the November 16 governorship election in the state.

Trouble began when the supporters of the PDP and their counterparts of the ruling APC clashed in Ankpa, with a lot of vehicles burnt and people injured during what was described as a thank-you visit by the candidate of the PDP, Musa Wada. In his own account of the incident, the spokesman for the Musa Wada Campaign Organisation, Faruk Adejoh-Audu in a statement, accused members of the ruling APC of provocation by allegedly making several attempts to break into the convoy of Wada. He accused Edward Onoja, the running mate to Alhaji Yahaya Bello the candidate of the APC of making some unsavoury utterances. Adejoh absolved PDP supporters of any act of violence despite the alleged driving by an APC stalwart into “a peaceful procession of party supporters with the aim of causing grievous injury or death law-abiding people.” According to Adejoh, “several persons scampered for safety as onlookers continued to scream in horror and alarm. Many sustained injuries as a result of this wickedness. Eyewitness said the convoy of three cars in an attempt to escape the deliberate carnage did a wild circular turn with two of them ramming into each other.”

The PDP campaign spokesman also alleged that “two other APC chieftains and lords of violence had unsuccessfully confronted the procession and motorcade of the PDP candidate with an intention to provoke the procession but they were ignored based on the advice of elders on the thank-you visit of Musa Wada. This provocative bravado enraged the younger members of the party who were quickly restrained and pacified by the candidate and other elders from reacting.”  He equally claimed that there was yet another provocative action against the convoy of about four cars just before Ajiyolo village on the Anyigba – Dekina road. “The occupants of the two unmarked white Toyota Hilux that heralded the cars shot sporadically as they forced our candidate’s motorcade out of the way,” he alleged.

He added: “This of course is the manifestation of desperation and frustration on the part of the APC and Bello’s government who have gotten a loud eviction notice from the people of Kogi State. The resort to violence and other desperate measures cannot remedy the crushing defeat that awaits them on November 16,” Adejoh claimed.

But, he raised issues concerning the security implications of the ‘strange’ development as the countdown to the election began. He said while the PDP and its candidate would remain undaunted in the quest to win at the poll, the law enforcement agencies should do the needful before the situation got out of hand. “We hereby call on the security agencies who have so far indulged these people as they abuse the power of their office to oppress law abiding citizens to call them to order. We shall not allow ourselves to be cowed or intimidated by desperate persons who are on their way out of power by abusing and misappropriating the coercive power of state constitutionally entrusted to the security agencies,” Adejoh said.

Spontaneously, the spokesman for the state governor, Mr Kingsly Fanwo vehemently debunk the allegation, even as he declared that Chief Onoja remains the toast of Igalaland than Wada.  “Onoja has brought more development to the people of Kogi East than the Wada family that once produced a governor who failed to develop even his ward. Wada should own up to the fact that Onoja has become the toast of the Igala masses and be prepared for the defeat staring him in the face. Chief Edward Onoja is busy wooing the grassroots people to support the GYB/CEDO Phenomenon. He has no time for someone who is still unsure of the status of his candidacy,” he stated.

It was in the midst of the rising threats to peace that the INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu embarked on a trouble-shooting mission to the state. Described as timely, the visit enabled him to hold a stakeholders’ meeting with the various interest groups emphasising the need for the INEC, security agencies and the politicians to avoid bloodbath during and after the election. Addressing the stakeholders, Professor Mahmood said the commission was determined to conduct a free, fair, credible and conclusive election. His words: “The election is 36 day from Thursday from now and two major elections will be conducted on November 16 that is in Kogi and Bayesa states simultaneously.  They constitute a major election for the commission, Nigeria and everybody, the first after general election and people are interested in this election; they will want to know what is going on.” He explained that the meeting with the stakeholders was convened to show that the INEC was ready for the election, as well as to carry all the interests along, with a stern warning against violence and hate speech before and during election.

The representative of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, deputy Inspector General (Operations), Abdulmalik, also expressed worries over the seeming threats to a peaceful conduct of the election. He alleged that some unnamed political actors were training and arming private militias ahead of the election, warning that the police were fully ready to ensure that the poll was conducted under a secured atmosphere, as no one was above the law. “From intelligence gathering, we discovered that some political parties are recruiting, training and arming individuals, to cause mayhem,” Abdulmalik said.

In his capacity as the chief security officer of the state, Governor Bello, assured stakeholders and citizens of the state of a free and credible election because the people of the state were law-abiding citizens. “On January 27, 2016, I swore to an oath to defend the people of Kogi State and I am doing that very well. We have invested so much in that sector and have continued to work with all security agencies to ensure a secured state beyond the election period. I did not come into office through violence and if by the grace of God I ascend the seat again, it shall not be through violence. I call on other candidates to play the game according to the rule. The people of the state are very civil and have demonstrated their civility on several occasions including in the conduct of the last election. My party never orchestrate violence in any election and as the leader of the party, I will never allow anybody to engage in any form of violence,” he said.

With all the parties in the forthcoming election pledging to play by the rules of the game, should the electorate and indeed the general populace in Kogi State start singing Uhuru? Time will tell.