By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Kogi State All Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Council has lambasted the Social Democratic Party and its Governorship candidate over “a concocted rigging video”, released to divert the attention of the public away from the conversation around their not being able to file a petition against the outcome of the November 11 election within the stipulated time frame.
The party said the concocted videos reflected the level of intelligence of those it described as the “delusional mob of ethnocentric bigots” around the SDP candidate, adding that these archaic strategies had always given birth to failure.
The Director, Media and Publicity/Spokesperson for the Council, Kingsley Fanwo, who said this in a statement on Monday, asked the public to disregard the senseless concoction, noting that the SDP and its thugs put up an autocratic gangsterism against democracy in Kogi East during the election apart from the blood that was allegedly spilled in the build up to the poll.
According to him, the release of the concocted video on a day the SDP is battling with the determination of the people to make them do the right thing “is a road-side strategy to divert the people’s attention from the heavy cloud of controversy on their inability to file their petition within the constitutionally approved period.”
“The November 11 Governorship Poll remains one of the most peaceful and credible in the political history of Kogi State. The flashes of killings and thuggery by the SDP gun men was not enough to blight the defining moment of our democratic history as a people,” he maintained.
Fanwo blamed the security agencies, particularly the Department of State Services and the Police for the lawlessness being allegedly displayed by the SDP, saying, “The State Director of the DSS and the Commissioner of Police in charge of Kogi State Command seem to have licenced the violence and illegality of the SDP.
“Releasing and circulating concocted videos to discredit a credible election and stir insurrection is a clear sin against the laws of the land. But the two security chiefs have put us in no doubt that they are in Kogi to defend the illegalities of the SDP.”
He stated, “The attention of the Kogi State APC Governorship Campaign Council has been drawn to a concocted video being circulated by the delusional mob of ethnocentric bigots around the SDP Governorship Candidate, suggesting that the election in which they were drenched in straight defeat was rigged.
“It is easy to accept the kind of thinking around the candidate, given the kind of archaic strategies that are giving birth to failure. The Social Democratic Party and its thugs put up an autocratic gangsterism against democracy in Kogi East during the Governorship election apart from the blood that was spilled in the build up to the poll.”
He stressed that the APC would continue to follow the saga of inconsistencies surrounding the SDP’s purported petition and ensure that the right thing is done.
“When the citizens rise to defend their rights, democracy is enriched. It is unfortunate. The antinomianism of the SDP should be a thing of concern for all Kogites,” he added.
The APC Campaign Council said, “The danger of having the SDP go scot free with their disregard for the rule of law is dangerous as it may spark a major breakdown of law and order. We must be deliberate on the need to avoid disregard for constitutionalism.
“We urge the general public to disregard the concocted video and ask SDP to explain how they got those ballot papers. They have questions to answer. Our party has won a free, fair and credible election and the mandate of the people can only be renewed in 2027.”
