Kogi guber: Thugs loyal to Yahaya Bello set SDP office ablaze in Lokoja

Ahead of the November 11, governorship election in Kogi State, thugs loyal to governor Yahaya Bello on Sunday vandalized the campaign head of the rival Social Democratic Party, SDP and set it ablaze after.

The SDP campaign office with Muritala Yakubu Ajaka and Hon. Sam Abenemi as candidates is located on Paparanda Round about Lokoja was massively attacked by thugs on Sunday.

The attack was carried at about 10.15 am with no human casualty as few SDP staff took to their heels upon sighting thugs coming to the office with dangerous weapons.

The Deputy governorship candidate, Mr Sam Abenemi, confirmed the attack to journalists in Lokoja and described it as “wicked, shocking and uncalled for”, while expressed concern at the dangerous dimension with which the electioneering was taking.
According to him, campaign is about canvassing and seeking for votes, which unfortunately it taking a dangerous dimension in Kogi State.

He said: “Just this morning around 10.15 a.m. some hoodlums, whom we suspected were sponsored, stormed our party office in Lokoja, vandalised it and set some materials ablaze.

“This act is very wicked, shocking and uncalled for. This is not how politics is played in a democratic country like ours,” he said.
Abenemi said, “this evil and wicked act is aimed at scaring us from taking part in the governorship election, but we won’t be deterred”.

Abenemi urged Kogi electorate to ensure they participate in the eletion and vote the governorship candidate of their choice and should not be scared or get intimidated, saying that they should not allow an unpopular candidate to be forced on them.

However, he appealed to security operatives to investigate the heinous act and ensure the perpetrators were brought to book.
Reacting, whenKolgi State Police Command Spokesperson SP Williams Ovye-Aya, was contacted, he confirmed the incident, but said no arrest has been made as at Sunday yet.

“We got the report about the vandalism of the campaign secretariat of SDP and we are investigating the incident to bring the hoodlums to book. “As it is now, there’s no arrest, ” Ovye-Aya said.