APC, PDP bicker over allegations of rigging in Kogi guber polls

OPPOSITION All Progressives Congress and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party are wrangling over allegations of rigging in the just concluded governorship and House of Assembly elections in Kogi State.

However, the Special Adviser on Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to Governor Idris Wada alleged that the APC used the rigging excuse to attack him and the governor’s entourage and only the timely intervention of the police saved them.

Special Adviser, Haliru Abdul, spoke against the backdrop of the allegation that he was caught in the act of thumb printing ballot papers to rig election, alleged that it was APC thugs that actually wanted to eliminate him, commending the police for saving his life. He informed that he had received threat calls two weeks earlier from the same thugs.

The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State had alleged that the special adviser was arrested with two other government officials while they were thumb-printing ballot papers in the University Guest House. It also accused the police of collaborating with some PDP leaders to rig the election.
The party called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to‎ fix a new date for the rerun election in Okura Constituency.

Abdul narrating his ordeal said he voted peacefully and left for his father’s house but the APC hoodlums allegedly started disrupting the election process.‎ “They scattered the voting boxes and everything at the polling units.

According to him the youths came to throw stones at his father’s compound when he had to relocate, deciding to go to the University Guest House in the company with four other persons to rest but he received a call that youths were going to burn down his house.

“They started destroying everything in sight in his house and the soldiers arrested one. They went back to my father’s compound to molest my people beating my siste-in-law to unconsciousness; adding that two vehicles and a motorcycle came with thugs to assassinate him‎ with AK47 and other weapons.

He said the police checked his guesthouse and there were no such ballot papers and the police had to move through bush paths to ferry him to safety.
“At about 8:30 on the election day I was at the voting center at Ofejikpi in Anyigba. I had earlier made arrangements with the elders of the community to make food available to all voters across the board since I am an appointee of government from that area.
“So we cooked rice which was put in take away packs for everybody. I admonished every voter to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner.
“At about 11.17am my PA received a call ‎from the person that introduced herself (names withheld) that they were aware he was at the University that they would eliminate him that day. However, I could not reach my PA because he was at Egume casting his vote.

Abdul said the next thing he saw were two vehicles and a motorcycle. “My police orderly went to inquire about their mission. At that point the lady (names withheld) went out to make call and I told the police not to allow her make the call because she would invite hoodlums to come and assassinate him.

The police told her not to make any call but she insisted and made the call. The police officer therefore asked me to prepare to leave with them because they can no longer guarantee my safety.
“The next thing we saw was Toyota buses with people wielding AK47 and machetes; some were carrying petrol. As we were about moving, in the police vehicle, another vehicle blocked ours.

He said the police had to backtrack and smuggle him out of the University through a bush path without which the hoodlums would have eliminated him. He said in the melee, his vehicles were burnt to ashes.

Due to widespread violence in some polling units of Anyigba, Iyale and Egume all in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State were cancelled in the last Saturday by INEC headquarters in Abuja
Though the party commended the commissioner of police for being forthright, it however, blamed the police in Anyigba for ‎aiding and abetting the crime.

APC Returning Officer for the House of Assembly election in Dekina Local Government of Kogi State Patrick Ojogbane, during a press conference in Anyigba alleged fake ballot papers and photocopied voters register were used.

He alleged the ruling PDP masterminded the rigging arrangement whereby the original ballot papers ‎were being thumb-printed at the Kogi State University and other locations.

He accused the Anyigba Divisional Police Officer of complicity in the matter, as he did not attend to their complaint when the issue was reported.

He commended the quick intervention of the state police commissioner to prevent a total breakdown of law and order. He urged the INEC to do the needful and fixed a date for the re-run as according to him, the APC will definitely win the election any time.