Governor Yahaha Bello, APC candidate and Engineer Musa Wada, PDP flagbearer

The Campaign Council of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP for the Kogi State Governorship election has accused the State Governor Yahaya Bello of buying and distributing more than 1000 registered tinted vehicles to thugs, to facilitate rigging the forthcoming poll. This is contained in a statement signed by Faruk Adejoh-Audu spokesman of Wada/ Aro Campaign Organization.

Adejoh-Audu alleged that some of the vehicles are already on the streets unhindered  with 4+4 or the APC logo on the number plates. He called on the police and other security agencies not to turn the other way at the activities of the vehicles and their occupants, but to be alive to their duty. The statement reads

“We are alarmed that hundreds of tinted unregistered automobiles mostly cars, buses, SUVs and sometimes pickup trucks have flooded Lokoja and several other towns in Kogi State in the last few days.
We know as of a fact that all these vehicles were brought into the state directly by the outgoing Governor Yahaya Bello and his Chief of Staff, Mr Edward Onoja and distributed mainly to thugs and members of their faction of the APC and their prowling squads of gunmen.

At least 450 cars were reportedly distributed last week. Before then there were over 500 such cars were in circulation before, during and after the last general elections.

“These cars were used by thugs and gun men to storm polling units and collation during the Presidential/National Assembly and House of Assembly Elections in Kogi State.

“Interestingly in all the 10 cases where PDP members were killed in the last elections, the killers were reported to have arrived and escaped in tinted cars identical to the ones shared by the governor now APC candidate and his Chief of Staff who is now the running mate to the Governor.

“We are shocked that these cars obviously procured to be used in the perpetration of electoral felonies are prowling around freely in Lokoja with their plate numbers either covered, left blank or with the inscription of GYB 4+4 or NEXT LEVEL yet no security agency in Kogi State neither the police nor the Department of State Security (DSS) consider the development a security breach.

“As a matter of fact these vehicles sometimes are used to convey security personnel to go hunt peaceful innocent PDP supporters in other to intimidate and terrorise our support base into silence or dormancy before the elections.
In most cases these security personnel loosely referred to as SARS are driven to the manhunt expeditions by known thugs and gunmen of Mr Bello and Mr Edward.

“We are challenging the Kogi State Commissioner of Police and the State Director DSS to explain to the world why these vehicles and their drivers and occupant enjoy unbridled immunity in a state where police is notorious for harassing, intimidating and extorting motorists with genuine vehicle identification on all the highways.

“We have said it repeatedly that the police, DSS and INEC in Kogi State have been induced by a failed and desperate outgoing government to compromise the November 16 election in Kogi State.

We call that the Lokoja International Stadium was attacked by gunmen on September 3, during the PDP Governorship Primaries while the Commissioner of Police was seated in the venue. The Venue itself is just about 500 meters walk to the State DSS Headquarters.

Yet these gunmen freely attacked the stadium causing bedlam and stampede with several persons sustaining serious injuries. Until today neither the police commissioner nor the Director of DSS are known to have commenced any investigation into this dastardly act designed solely to ensure the PDP Primaries produced no candidate before the INEC deadline for primaries which was less than 24 hours at the time of the attack.

Before the last general election we equally cried out when hooded hoodlums emerged from Lugard House Lokoja to attack a stakeholders meeting on the eve of the cancelled presidential election date. Videos of these attack were sent to the DSS and police in Lokoja and Abuja, yet nothing whatsoever was done, rather these hooded men were used freely to attack people during the election .
“Nigerians have now come to the conclusion that the APC Government has no scruple in abusing the state institutions of violence to manipulate election no matter who is watching and the outcry from the people being robbed of their franchise, like it was done in Osun and Kano States.

“This is clearly the plan unfolding in Kogi State with with perhaps over a thousand tinted cars given to thugs prowling the streets menacingly in all nooks and crannies of State awaiting November 16 when they will maim and kill to ensure unpopular Mr Bello is forcefully returned to again oppress the people.

“Once again we call out the police and DSS in Kogi State to carry out their constitutional duties in preventing crimes and reining in criminals. So far they have observe their statutory roles in the breach of the Constitution to the advantage of an unpopular oppressive and repressive governing Kogi State.
In swift reaction, the Governor through Kingsley Fanwo his spokesperson has accused the PDP of peddling lies and misinformation describing the allegation as another PDP-Made garment of falsehood”

“Combining Governor Yahaya Bello with the master strategist, Chief Edward Onoja was too hot for the PDP to handle. They don’t even know if they will have a candidate yet as there are litigations challenging their bloody and inconclusive midnight primary.
“It is therefore understandable that they have chosen the ignoble path of promoting lies to mislead the good people of Kogi State. The November 16 Governorship election will be the most peaceful, fairest and freest in the political history of the state.