Kogi APC to PDP: We are Ready for You
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State has promised to humiliate the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) again in the House of Assembly election in the state as it did in the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections.
“We are ready for the PDP. We will march them votes for votes, naira for naira and force for force. The APC is now the majority party in the state as evident in the March 28 elections. Let the PDP dig up all the dirty tricks available in the world. We will beat them silly as we did before,” the APC resolved on Tuesday in Lokoja after a marathon five-hour stakeholders’ meeting hosted by former Governor Abubakar Audu.
“The PDP cannot intimidate us. We are aware they have assembled all the thugs in the state to harass, terrorize and scare off APC supporters from voting for their candidates on April 11. The thugs are at present camped at Government House in Lokoja and they have been given money, guns and other deadly weapons to execute their evil assignment. But they will fail again as they did two weeks ago”, the APC said in a statement signed by its spokesman Dr. Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba.
The APC advised its House of Assembly candidates throughout the state to mobilise their supporters to turn out massivelyonSaturdayand vote for APC candidates and then stay to defend their votes.
The party advised its candidates, polling agents and supporters to insist on the use of card readers for accreditation by INEC and where they fail and there are no replacements the election in that polling unit should be postponed till the next day in accordance with INEC’s recent guidelines. There should be no manual accreditation.
The meeting called the Police Commissioner, the state director of DSS, the Commandant of Army Records and others to call the PDP to order before it plunges the state into chaos.
A situation where thugs are fed and armed by the state government, the APC said, to kill and maim supporters of the APC should not be tolerated.
It asked the security agencies not to be compromised but to be alive to their responsibilities of maintaining law and order and providing a level playing field for all contestants.
“Any attempt to steal or stuff ballot boxes will be resisted by the APC. Any attempt to disrupt the voting process will be resisted by the APC. Kogi voters must be allowed to vote according to their consciences in an atmosphere free of violence and intimidation. This state belongs to all of us and the APC will not allow anti-democratic forces to prevail,” Onukaba said.
The APC accused Governor Idris Wada of being desperate to control the State House of Assembly to stave off possible impeachment by APC dominated House of Assembly after the May 29 transition. The party said Governor Wada cannot stop the wind of change blowing through the state. It advised the governor to allow the will of the Kogi people to prevail.
The APC assured its teeming supporters in Kogi State that it will continue to use all lawful and civilised means at its disposal to protect the lives, property and fundamental rights of its members to freely vote for their candidates.
The party vowed to end the inept and corrupt administration in the state through the ballot, adding that Governor Wada has nothing to fear if he is confident that it has done well in the last three years.
The meeting was attended by Prince Abubakar Audu, Senatorelect Dino Melaye, Senator-elect Abdulrahaman Abubakar, House of Representatives members-elect Abdul Bello, Kabir Ajanah and Benjamin Ikani Okolo as well as Lawi A. T. Ahmed, Matthew Keyi, former Speaker Clarence Olafemi, AVM Salihu Atawodi, Senator Nicholas Ugbane, Senator Salihu Ohize, Ubolo Okpanachi and several House of Assembly candidates and their supporters.