Kogi: IGP, INEC Chairman, others ‘teargassed’ in Lokoja; SDP Chairman beaten

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and others were teargassed on Tuesday in Lokoja, Kogi State at a Stakeholders’ meeting in preparation for Saturday’s governorship and senatorial elections.
The meeting was the second in the series.
Trouble started when the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mrs. Natasha Akpoti, who has been cleared by the Federal High Court to contest the election, was prevented from entering the event hall of Idrinana Hotel venue of the meeting by some political thugs suspected to be working for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Some security agents also joined the suspected thugs in preventing Akpoti from entering the venue.
The SDP candidate refused to leave the entrance of the hall, insisting that she was duly invited for the meeting.
To prevent the thugs from storming the venue, policemen immediately released tear gas.
Some tear gas canisters were also released inside the hall, forcing Adamu, Yakubu and others to run for cover.
They were immediately surrounded by security aides.
State SDP Chairman, Mouktar Atimah, who tried to mediate, was beaten up by the suspected APC thugs.
When he was eventually rescued, Atimah said: “Look at me. You can see me now. What did I do? What is my offence? Look at the way I was beaten by the APC thugs. This is the extent to which our society has been destroyed”.
Before the crisis, Yakubu said INEC was ready for the smooth conduct of Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
Yakubu said that 12 out of the 14-point steps for the smooth conduct of the election had been achieved.
“Only four days to the election, how prepared is INEC?
“The short answer is that we are ready. So far, the commission has successfully implemented 12 out of the 14-point plan for the election as required by law. We have just two more activities outstanding.
“The first one is the last day of campaign which is at midnight on Thursday, November 14, 2019. The second is the election day itself which is Saturday, November 16.
“The commission has delivered nonsensitive materials for the election to our office here in Lokoja. The sensitive materials for both the governorship and Kogi West Senatorial re-run elections are ready.
“As usual they are being handled by the Central Bank of Nigeria,” he said.
Yakubu added:“The normal process of inspection and distribution of sensitive materials within the state will be done in the presence of party leaders, security agencies and the media.
“We are combining the governorship election with the court-ordered re-run election for the Kogi West Senatorial District in seven Local Government Areas.”
He urged stakeholders to abide by the slogan, “Election No Be War, Vote Not fight,” saying that he was praying the Almighty God to guide INEC’s efforts towards hitch-free conduct of the election.
Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), pledged that corps members would be apolitical during the poll.
Ibrahim said that corps members had been consistently selfless in serving the country.
He appealed to traditional rulers and other stakeholders to help safeguard corps members on election duties in their various communities, saying they were precious to the nation.
The Obaro of Kabba, Oba Solomon Owoniyi, represented by High Chief Joseph Osagbemi, said democracy was about quality representation to the people and leadership which could only be actualised through credible election.
He said that the traditional institution in the area had held regular meetings in Kabba towards ensuring peace before, during and after the election.
“We want to ensure that democracy is given the right meaning,” he said.