By ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
Barely a week to general elections, the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in Kogi State, His Excellency, Arc. Yomi Awoniyi along with other leaders of the party have condemned in no uncertain terms, the renewed spate of violent attacks on supporters of the PDP in the state.
This condemnation follows the recent attacks by those suspected to be thugs of the All Progressives Congress, APC, whose action is a dress rehearsal by the sponsored thugs to unleash mayhem on the PDP supporters.
This was contained in a statement signed and issued by Austyn Ochu, Head, Media Team, PCC Kogi State, said it was aimed to cause voters apathy on the day of election on the 25th February, 2023.
The latest orchestrated violence took place in the suburb of Abocho in Dekina LGA on Wednesday 16h February, 2023, and in Ihima, Okehi LGA on thursday 17th of February, 2023, both strongholds of Austin Okai, PDP candidate for House of Reps., Dekina/Biraidu Federal Constituency and Barr. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the Central Senatorial District, respectively.
The actions of the thugs in a suburb of Abocho, who inflicted injuries on their victims with guns and matchets, and the coordinated attack on party members who were holding ward meetings in Ihima leading to the destruction of their property, confirms the speculation in our previous Press Releases that there is an organized attempt to gag the opposition by unleashing violence on the unsuspecting PDP members on the eve of the elections.
It is therefore instructive that the State Security apparatus must intensify surveillance on such black spots as Dekina, Okene, Okehi, Adavi, Olamaboro and such other places where these thugs are being used as instruments in the hands of unpopular candidates, to intimidate the opposition prior to the February General Election.
The PCC hereby call on the Security Agencies once again to swing into action immediately to arrest those who are known to be behind the recent violence in Abocho and Okehi in order to bring them to book and dissuade further unwarranted attack on law abiding PDP members in the state.
The PDP wish to assure party faithfuls and supporters that the party is prepared more than ever before to confront the challenges ahead with equanimity, and will not submit to acts of intimidation.
The PDP is resolved to do everything within the ambit of the law to protect her members from being disenfranchised in the next week General Elections.
