In a heated exchange of accusations, the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) are pointing fingers at each other in the aftermath of a daring attack on the residence of the State Residence Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Gabriel Longpet.
Gunmen, reportedly storming the REC’s residence in the early hours of Friday, fired shots indiscriminately, sparking concerns and a subsequent blame game between the political rivals.
During a press conference on Friday, the APC campaign council placed the blame squarely on the defeated governorship candidate of the SDP, calling for his immediate arrest and prosecution.
Kingsley Fanwo, the Director of Media and Publicity for the APC Campaign Council, accused SDP candidate Ajaka and his supporters of exhibiting violent tendencies, asserting that they should be held accountable for the incident at the REC’s residence.
Fanwo claimed that the attack followed the APC’s prior warning about the SDP’s alleged plans to unleash violence on INEC.
He added that
“they have finally done their worst by attacking the residence of the Kogi State INEC Commissioner, engaging security agents in a fierce gun battle and eventually burning down some vehicles in the residence and the area.”
Fanwo said,
“The same arsonists also had an attempt to burn down the Kogi State Government House foiled by our eagle-eye security agents. The same attempt was foiled at the State APC Secretariat in Lokoja.”
The APC further asserted that the SDP, in collaboration with other entities, aimed to destroy certain documents within INEC.
According to Fanwo, this destruction was part of an elaborate scheme to cover up alleged misconduct in Kogi East, where they purportedly killed APC supporters and manipulated election results.
The APC Campaign Council alleged that the SDP candidate and his associates were tampering with documents at INEC to support their legal team’s case. These allegations are based on the belief that the SDP is attempting to manipulate evidence before presenting it to legal authorities.
However, countering these claims, the Social Democratic Party categorically denied any involvement in the attack on the REC’s residence.
A release on Friday from Lokoja by David Ijele, the Director of New Media for the Muri/Sam Campaign Organisation, conveyed the following statement:
“We strongly condemn the assassination attempt on the INEC Resident Commissioner for Kogi state, Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet, which took place in Lokoja at approximately 2:00 am this morning, December 1st, 2023.
BREAKING: Gunmen Invades INEC REC Residence In New Attack
According to him,
“Election should not be treated as a war, nor should it be a matter of life and death. If the election was won fairly and transparently, then the legal process should be allowed to run its course without interference. However, it is unacceptable for thugs, in their high numbers yesterday, to be subject to fake protests, insisting that, on no account should forensic teams not be allowed to do their jobs”.
He added
“We are grateful for the timely intervention of the Army, as the man and his family could have been wiped out overnight. The attackers also burnt his vehicles and took other valuables. This kind of behavior is not acceptable in a democratic society.”
Meanwhile the attack has been confirmed by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bethrand Onuoha.
Onuoha expressed his dismay over the incident, describing it as both unfortunate and malicious. He further clarified that the attackers attempted to breach the residence at around 3:00 a.m. on Friday but encountered strong opposition from security personnel.
“The joy of it all is that the hoodlums did not succeed in their nefarious act as my officers gallantly repelled their attack and burnt the vehicle they came with.
“Right now there are soldiers stationed in the house alongside our personnel to keep watch and ensure safety.
“Again all the junctions around the house and INEC office have heavily armed soldiers and policemen keeping watch to forestall any eventuality.
“We want to assure the public that there’s no cause for alarm as we, the security operatives, are on top of situation in Kogi, ” he said.