Kogi Guber: SDP accuses Bello of plot to arrest Ajaka

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 9:59 am

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Richard Elesho

The Kogi State chapter of Social Democratic Party, SDP, has accused Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting with some security chiefs to arrest or abduct Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, its candidate in the November 11 Governorship election.

In a press statement issued by Faruk Adejoh-Audu, Director, Communications for the Alhaji Muritala Yakubu Ajaka Campaign Organization, on Tuesday, the party alleged that the aim was to clamp the candidate into detention and possibly assasinate him.

Adejoh-Audu said details of the plan which began manifesting on Tuesday included hastily arraigning Ajaka before a Lokoja Court to legally seal the plot to incarcerate him indefinitely.

He further alleged that some gunmen in mufti appeared at an address on Khartoum Street in Wuse, Abuja at about 12:30pm on Tuesday claiming they were detailed by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Adeshina Yusuf to arrest Alhaji Ajaka.

The men, he said, had claimed Ajaka was to be arrested for attempted assassination, gun possession, and terrorism as a result of the same attack carried out by Mr Bello and his gunmen.

Among sundry allegations, the Director, Communications said, “Already, Mr Bello has put some of his friendly media editors and social media influencers on cue to disparage the SDP Candidate through stories and commentaries that will potray the candidate as a violent man.

“These elaborate plot is an obvious manifestion to stop the escalating popularity of the SDP Candidate in the November 11, Governorship Elections.

“Mr Bello is a Governor whose administration has gained notoriety for violence, framing up opponents and compromising the institutions of the polity to gain advantage in elections.

“Once again we are calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to call this outlaw of a governor to order since we cannot press charges against him due to his executive immunity.

“Using the state institutions of compliance to suppress opponents in an election with the force of arms is akin to coup d’etat and we hereby task the Federal Government of Nigeria under president Tinubu to forestall such an unconstitutional desperation even from governor produced by his party”, he said.

However, the Governor denied the allegations advising Ajaka to face his problems with the security agencies. The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Kingsley Femi Fanwo said Governor Yahaya Bello had no time for Ajaka whom he described as “a political Lilliputian with questionable character.”

“Spreading falsehood with reckless abandon so as to put on himself, a garment of importance and create unnecessary air around himself as a contender that he is not.

“Kogites and Nigerians know Muritala Yakubu Ajaka and they know that his intention is to create ethnic division and blow his own ego. We know the contenders and the pretenders and he is not a political threat as far as Kogi State is concerned.

“The Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Alh. Yahaya Bello, CON, is the Governor of all the people of Kogi State and he owes them a duty of care and security. He swore to protect them and protect them he shall.

“The State Government has no clandestine plan to frame up anyone, not to talk about political Lilliputians with questionable character.

“As a Government, we will not condone reckless statements as we urge the security agencies to arrest the current trend by acting decisively against inflammatory statements.

“A lack of action has emboldened some political opportunists to think they can spread lies, incite the people, play politics of ethnic profiling and still get away with them”, Fanwo said.

The News reports that there has been no love lost between Ajaka and Bello since the governorship primaries of the parties.