Politics
SDP tackles Kogi government for sponsoring attacks on party’s campaign office
The Social Democratic Party, SDP in Kogi State has reacted to attacks on its campaign office and party secretariat in Lokoja on Sunday, accusing the State government of sponsoring thugs to carry out the heinous act.
CAPITAL POST reported that the SDP campaign office ahead of November 11, 2023 in Lokoja was vandalized and the party flags and campaign banners were burnt.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the SDP State Secretary, Dr Arome Okeme, described the attack as “unfortunate and barbaric”.
He reminded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Kogi governor’s excesses, asking that Bello should be called to order and ensure there were no further loss of lives and properties, which might lead to the party supporters resorting to self-help.
“The state executives of the Social Democratic Party have found it necessary indeed to address the members of the press and, through them, Nigeria as a whole on the heightened threat to democracy and its ideals, and security of lives and property posed by the uncouth and uncivilized actions of the state government.
“On the 9th of July, at about 9am, urchins, thugs and arsonists, unarguably on the payroll of the state government launched an unprovoked assault on the secretariat of the Social Democratic Party/Muri/Abene campaign office in Kogi State, destroying and burning party flags, campaign banners and sacrilegiously, the Nigerian national flags.
“It is no longer news that the Social Democratic Party over the years has suffered tremendous losses in the hands of the ruling party led by Governor Yahaya Bello as it has always posed the biggest threat to his continuity as governor or de facto.
“Maybe a journey down the recent past will juggle our memories a bit.
“During the 2018 senatorial elections, the APC led by Yahaya Bello employed the use of rogue security personnel and thugs to physically assault the then candidate of the party for the kogi central senatorial elections, Barr. Natasha Akpoti, the popular choice of the people then.
“It was under the watch of this government that two supporters of the candidate were shot and killed; her family house set ablaze in Okehi and many supporters maimed.
“The candidate and the party paid codles amounts at various hospitals in Kogi state to manage the injured until they were healed and discharged. Many of them are alive today to bear witness.
“In 2019, the same government under the direction of the same governor meted the party with another gruesome blow when it attacked and set its secretariat, located at paparanda square just opposite the local government secretariat, ablaze destroying property worth millions of naira in the process.
“It was under his watch that thugs loyal to him accosted our then gubernatorial candidate, Barr Natasha Akpoti, and pushed her to the ground during a meeting called by the then commissioner of police in public glare and nothing was done about that incident up till this day. It demoralized our supporters and traumatized our candidate.
“The government ensured that none of our candidate’s posters, banners or paraphernalia flew in Kogi state as all were torn and set on fire. Supporters of the party were physically assaulted and chased from polling units while being disenfranchised.
“During the 2019 general election, the government supervised one of the worst elections ever to be held in Kogi where many lives were lost; Choppers shot at peaceful voters from the sky. Infact, if one was not familiar with the state, one would assume that it was a war theater”, the SDP Scribe said.
Okeme added: “Recently, the governor declared himself a lion while belittling our candidate by describing him as an antelope. He ultimately owned up to almost assassinating our candidate for the November gubernatorial election by acceding to being present on the day shots were fired at our candidate’s bullet proof car where he was seated in the passenger’s seat.
“Today, as has always been the case, seeing that he has lost the confidence reposed in him by the voters and, to a large extent, his party, he has decided to employ violence as a last resort to cow and intimidate our supporters and candidate to give in.
“As usual he has once again reignited his “tatatatata” formula to steal from the people their mandated choice of Murtala Yakubu Ajaka.
“Consequent upon the foregoing, as loyal citizens, we are calling on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to call the commissioner of police in the state to order and immediately have him fish out the culprits of this unfortunate barbaric event, failure of which may lead to our resorting to self help.
“We also wish to call on the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to as a matter of urgency, look into the excesses of the state governor and ensure he doesn’t cause further loss of lives and property.
“It is true that the governor has lost hold of and favor with Asorock as he previously did with the previous government, and this has become worrisome to him as the “federal might” he relied on may not be available for him to abuse after all,” Okeme stated.
“We also call on the general public not to be cowed or intimidated by these actions as this is just a minor setback that will only engender the Muri/Abene campaign to intensify its activities towards liberating the good people of Kogi state from the shackles of their enemies who are unfortunately their current leaders,” Okeme said.
Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 general election, Adewole Adebayo said, God has told him that the party will produce the next president in 2027 general election.
Speaking over the weekend in Abeokua when he met the members and executive who were led by the State Chairman, Yinka Ola-Williams, said he could confirm that a President of SDP will mount Aso Rock villa in 2027.
“One thing that God is telling me is that there will be an SDP president in the villa in 2027.
“For the first time in a long time, we will have people who care for the people. Let’s remain focused. The problems of Nigeria are our problems, not individuals.
“We are not against Tinubu as a person but we are against hunger, inflation, poverty, insecurity, unemployment. That’s what we are against,” he said.
Buttressing Adebayo’s position on modalities of joining the party, the SDP Chairman in Ogun State, Mr. Yinka Ola-Williams, disowned 30,000 membership cards and registers allegedly being flaunted by one of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants in the 2023 governorship election in the State.
Ola-Williams said the party’s door is widely opened to anybody who wants to join, but such a person or group, no matter how highly placed, must follow the procedure as laid down in the party’s constitution.
He emphatically stated that the party had nothing to do with the membership cards and registers claimed by the aspirant, who said he got them from the party’s National Secretariat.
“We want people to join us, and we want to work together to provide a better government than what we have now that will remove poverty, provide a better healthcare system for people, improve education and all.
“But not that they come to the party, hijack the party and take the structure away. That’s what we will not agree,” Ola-Williams said.
Barrister Adewole Adebayo, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general election, apprehensive of massive defection to the party urged defectors to go through legitimate route and due process.
Speaking over the weekend in Abeokuta, Adebayo when he met with SDP members and executive members led by the State Chairman, Yinka Ola-Williams, said the party is open to defectors, but they must do so legitimately.
Flanked by the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, the former presidential candidate allayed fears that defectors may hijack the party, stressing that the National Working Committee of SDP can only issue membership cards through the executive at the state levels.
He said, “People are counterfeiting naira, they are counterfeiting the dollar, they’re bringing counterfeit rice, and NAFDAC is chasing counterfeit drugs. Why are you surprised that there are counterfeit party cards? Especially if the party cards are carried by counterfeit politicians who have a history of doing counterfeiting in their former parties. So, we should forgive everybody, but this counterfeiting will not work in SDP.”
“We are not fighting anybody we are only saying ‘come to our house through the front door not through the ceiling or the window.’ That’s all. Everybody here joined the party legitimately, anybody coming will join legitimately”.
“We have spoken to the National Chairman and the NWC, he said there’s no counterfeiting of anything. Any card that’s not given through the state, LG and executives is not from the SDP. So, if they come, you will tell them to go away. Put your name in our register here and pay us here. We will get the card for you. That’s how it is”.
“They want to run faster than their legs. Secondly, you are hearing rumors that people are coming to our party, Awolowo is coming, Azikiwe is coming, Balewa, Ahmadu Bello is coming. Let’s see them. Nigerians know us and they know them.”
He ruled out any plan that SDP would merge or collaborate with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC or any political party ahead of 2027 general election.
According to him, SDP is committed to the well-being and welfare of Nigerians, while he ruled out insinuations that the party is an appendage of APC.
“Maybe APC has appendicitis; they should go to the hospital to kill it. We are a strong party. We are older than any of the parties available. Our mission is clear: we are not in government with them.
“I led the party in the last election. I’m still standing here. I’m not a minister under Tinubu; all the state chairman and the national chairman are intact, including the national secretary. So, we are standing on our own.
“The reason people look down on us is because we don’t attack people, but we tackle issues because our party is a party of intellect. We are the only party that’s a little to the left. Having been a little to the left since we came in 1989, we remain so.
“The problems of Nigeria can only be found with solutions on the left, which is that chapter two of the Constitution, invest money in education, in housing, in healthcare, good infrastructure, let Nigerians live what chief Obafemi Awolowo called a life more abundant,” he said.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Governor of Katsina State, Malam Dikko Umar Radda, over the passing of his mother, Hajiya Safarau Umar Baribari.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, Dr. Ganduje described Hajiya Safarau’s death as a profound loss that has left a deep void in the hearts of her family, friends, and the people of Katsina State.
Extending his sympathies, the APC National Chairman condoled with Governor Radda, the bereaved family, and the entire people of Katsina State during this difficult time.
He acknowledged the remarkable contributions of the late Hajiya Safarau and prayed for Almighty Allah (SWT) to grant her eternal rest in Jannatul Firdaus while strengthening the family to bear this irreplaceable loss.
Dr. Ganduje urged Governor Radda and others affected to find comfort in the cherished memories and enduring legacy of the deceased.
Reaffirming the APC’s support, the former Kano State governor assured the people of Katsina State of the party’s solidarity in their time of grief and prayed that Allah (SWT) grant the departed soul Al-Jannah Firdaus. Ameen.
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