A delegate to the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lokoja, Kogi State, was shot dead when gunmen invaded the venue and started shooting in the early hours of Wednesday while some party members were injured.
The state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Bode Ogunmola, in Lokoja on Wednesday, identified the delegate as Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi from Kogi Local Government Area.
He said that the delegate, who died in the stampede that followed the invasion of the Lokoja Confluence Stadium, venue of the primary election by gunmen, had been buried.
Ogunmola said that the Electoral Committee led by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State would come out with a decision on the development after a meeting.
The gunmen invaded the venue some minutes after 2.a.m when ballots in seven out of the 10 boxes had been sorted out. Thirteen aspirants participated in the primary.
However, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP William Aya, said that tha police had no record of death from the incident.
But Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State said that the invasion of the venue of the primary was unfortunate.
Bello said that the details of the shooting were still sketchy, but noted that the gunfire incident might not be unconnected with the usual ‘do-or-die’ politics of opposition whose desperation to win at all cost had led to such violence and crisis in the state.
The governor, therefore, directed security agencies to get to the roots of the matter immediately, stressing that it posed a grave danger to the November 16 governorship election in the state.
He promised to update the public as soon as he had been fully briefed by law enforcement agencies.
The governor commiserated with the injured and the families of the alleged killing of a party member in the incident.
The governor assured the people of the state that the incident would “not be swept under the carpet” no matter the status of those involved.
The governor also reaffirmed his commitment to institutionalising lasting peace in all parts of the state, stressing that peace in the state remained non-negotiable.
Meanwhile, the PDP said that the gunmen attack has further united its aspirants, stakeholders, leaders, members and supporters.
Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary, said this while addressing newsmen at the party National Secretariat in Abuja.
Ologbondiyan said that processes of the primary were still intact and would be peacefully concluded.
Ologbondiyan noted that the party electoral committee members were still in the state to complete the process.
He described the attack as a failed desperate attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to prevent PDP from presenting a candidate for the election.
He also said that nothing could sway PDP resolve and peoples’ will to vote out the APC candidate, Yahaya Bello, in the November 16 election.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP had a peaceful, decent, clean, clear, credible and transparent process in the conduct of our primary,” he said.
Ologbondiyan said that the people of Kogi had never in history, bowed in subjugation to anybody, no matter the force or intimidation.
“We have decided to take back the state by voting in the PDP on November 16”, he said.
