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Again, Gunmen Disrupt SDP rally, destroy property worth millions of Naira

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By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.

WITH the Kogi off-circle Governorship Election less than three weeks away, Gun wielding hoodlums believed to be sponsored political thugs have again, disrupted the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship Election Ward rally in Ejule, Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

Faruk Adejoh-Audu, Director, Communications, Muri/Sam Gubernatorial Campaign Council of the SDP disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Lokoja.

The campaign Communications Director said that the hoodlums descended on the rally venue at St Matthews Primary School, Ejule and started shooting sporadically to disperse a mammoth crowd of SDP supporters that had gathered for the event.

He said that earlier in the day at about 9:30am, about two hours to the scheduled time for commencement of the rally, the thugs had invaded the venue and destroyed canopies, Public Address Systems, Chairs and the podium arranged for the event.

“But SDP leaders in the LGA led by Elder Obolo Okpanachi, Rabi Emaiku and Gambo Haruna encouraged supporters to ignore the intimidation and still show up for the rally.

“The moment supporters began trooping to the rally ground followed by a motorcade, the hoodlums again unleashed the thugs this time shooting sporadically”, he said.

Adejoh-Audu however said that the gunmen led personally by one Mohammed Nasir Alfa said to be the Assistant State Chairmam of the APC (Kogi East District), this time, laid seige on the rally ground shooting sporadically.

He said that the SDP supporters had to scamper for safety and run for their dear lives adding that Several persons were injured in the course of the bedlam while the thugs equally destroyed several vehicles they identified as belonging to SDP supporters.

Adejoh-Audu said eye witnesses identified some of the thugs including Dele Ademu; Daddy Ndah; Danladi Alaba from (Umomi Village); Muhammed Nasiru Alfa (APC zonal Chairman); Yahaya Ademu aka Kia Man; Mustapha Idris aka Ore; Besiru Mudi aka Para (all from Ejule Town).

“This is the second time that an SDP Rally will be attacked by identified aides of Bello leading thugs in less than weeks.

A similar attack was unleashed on an SDP rally at Koton Karfe in Kogi LGA of the state on September 29, leading to one death and at least 10 persons sustaining gunshot injuries.

“For the record, we are again calling on the President and Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Inspector General of Police,

“The Director-General of the Directiorate of State Services and all other Mangers of our security and federation to urgently intervene and address the drift in Kogi State before it fatally undermines our democracy”, he said.

One of the Chieftains of the party, Col. Suleiman Babanawa (rtd) said the unprovoked and surprise attack on SDP supporters on Wednesday presented a sad reminiscence of one of those unsavoury moments in the History of Kogi East Senatorial District.

“I’m very sad, I’m disturbed, that what should have been a very peaceful campaign, designed by the campaign council, approved by the commissioner of Police, has turned into the kind of mayhem that we saw in Ejule.

“Who is really responsible for this? Who is directing this script? It is very unfortunate. However, we remain restrained, we remain law-abiding, we remain hopeful that the powers that be will look carefully into this, we believe in Mr President, we believe in the security team that we have.

“We will ensure that we do things democratically, we don’t do things with impunity. We still remain restrained and I hope that it will not reach a point where we will ask the common man to defend himself”, he said. (Ends)

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Ondo Governorship Primaries: APC commends Ododo over peaceful conduct

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo for his impressive performance in the just concluded Ondo State Governorship primary election where he served as chairman of the committee.
Special adviser on media to the Governor Ismai Isah in a statement indicated that Governor Ododo received the commendation while presenting the report of the Ondo state APC primary election committee to the party’s national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.

Receiving the committee’s report from Governor Ododo, Dr. Ganduje congratulated the Governor for a job well done and noted that the party is proud of the performance of the Kogi State Governor for the conduct of the Ondo State Governorship primary election which he noted was the first national assignment of the Governor.

The APC national chairman praised the extraordinary leadership skill and impeccable manner the Kogi State Governor managed the Ondo State APC Governorship primary election, adding that the Collation of results from the 203 wards and the 18 Local Government areas of the state that was viewed live on national television was a rare display of transparency and integrity of the entire election process.

Earlier in his presentation, Governor Ododo thanked the APC National Working Committee for finding him and his committee members worthy of the all important national assignment.

The Governor stated that the committee’s report took cognizance of everything that transpired during the primary election and it contains recommendations that will enable the party to deal with the aftermath of the Ondo State Primary election and ensure that the APC goes into the November governorship election as a united party ready to retain power in Ondo State.

Governor Ododo was accompanied to the presentation of the report by the Secretary to the Committee, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Kogi State APC Chairman, Honourable Abdullahi Bello, House of Representative Member Representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, Honourable Abdulrahim Egidi and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barr. Deedat Ozigi Salami, and some of his senior aides.

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Ondo 2024: Emami admonishes Aiyedatiwa to Seek support of aggrieved aspirants

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***Says APC stands to win
with genuine reconciliation

Seek for genuine reconciliation with all the aggrieved aspirants who contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election Chief Ayirimi Emami, has admonished the Ondo State Governor and winner of the party’s ticket in last weekend governorship primary, Lucky Aiyedatiwa,

In the primary election conducted by a team led by Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, his colleague, Governor Aiyedatiwa was declared winner having polled 48, 569 in the Direct Primary exercise to defeat all the other 15 aspirants.
Some of the aspirants have since kicked against the outcome of the election, alleging that the Governor Ododo team did not follow the party’s guidelines and laid down procedure
The APC chieftain who congratulated Governor Aiyedatiwa, described his victory at the primary as testament of his impactful governance for the few months he has taken over as governor of Ondo state.
He urged him to broker peace with the aggrieved aspirants, accomodate them in the course of his campaigns for the overall interest of the APC and development of the oil producing state.
While he maintained that Governor Aiyedatiwa posture should be a no victor, no vanquished towards the other aspirants on the outcome of the primary, Chief Emami, said the cooperation of other aspirants would make the Party victory seamless and accelerate the developmental strides being witnessed in the state.
He equally appealed to other aspirants that contested the APC governorship primary to sheathe their sword and support the candidacy of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Some of the contenders for the ticket won by Governor Aiyedatiwa included
senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Jimoh Ibrahim; Olusola Oke SAN, former President of Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Francis Faduyile, a mechanical engineer, Dr Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo and the National Vice Chairman of the APC (South APC (South West), Isaac Kekemeke.

Others were Dr Soji Ehinlanwo, Akinfolarin Samuel, Okunjimi Odimayo, Adewale Akinterinwa, Olugbenga Edema and Brig. Gen. Ohunyeye Olamide (retd), Morayo Lebi, Oladiran Iyatan and Engnr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele.

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Concerned Kano Progressives throw weight behind Ganduje

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***Alerts President Tinubu over Kwankwaso’s scheming to destabilize APC

From Mohammed Abubakar Minjibir

A Kano-based political think-tank, the CONCERNED KANO PROGRESSIVES, {CKP} has vowed to do everything humanly possible to support ongoing efforts of the national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to reposition the party and encourage all elected representatives on the platform of the APC to manage the gains of their respective, electoral successes.
Similarly, the KCP, have also vowed to checkmate, what its members, have described as , “the infantile and highly dysfunctional thought-processes being elicited by one-time civilian Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Kwankwaso, in his drift towards political mischief-making against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “.
These views, were contained in a Media statement issued to newsmen on Sunday, by the National Coordinator of CKP Alhaji Mohammed Z. Abubakar.
The CKP stated that, “Anybody who knows Alhaji Kwankwaso and his conditioned behaviour towards matters of political socialization processes and mentorship, can attest to his high affinity for not only being domineering, high-handed, self-opinionated but abnormally dictatorial in the way and manner he relates with his peers, eminent political leadership figures and sundry loyal party members.”
The statement explained further that, “Alhaji Kwankwaso, is believing that he has the nationwide capacity to swing the sociology of the voter-behaviour of the larger Nigerian voting electorate come 2027, to actualize his animated ambition of becoming the President of Nigeria.”
The CKP, said that Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s self-inflated ego, is what is perhaps, leading him into nursing the faulty impression-formation disposition that, apart from the entire northern electorate, “voting” massively for him under the NNPP, the social and political rating which President Tinubu presently enjoys, is far below his self-proclaimed social and political stratification rating, which, has given him the pseudo courage to embark on his ongoing secret plans to destabilize the All Progressives Congress by using his NNPP political party platform to achieve his ambition of becoming president of Nigeria in 2027.
According to the CKP spokesman, Alhaji Mohammed Z. Abubakar, “Alhaji Kwankwaso’s hope of executing his plan of action is largely reliant and premised on the funding from his political stooge, the current Governor of Kano State, who will never dare defy the directives of Alhaji Kwankwaso, his father in-law and mentor.
Alhaji Kwankwaso, according to the Progressives, “uses the Kano State Executive Governor, Alhaji Abba Yusuf, as a willing instrument to prosecute his current thinly disguised agenda to blackmail and demonise the APC National Chairman, Alhaji Ganduje, and his party in such a way as to destroy the APC brand before the next general elections in 2027.
The Progressives, have therefore humbly advised President Tinubu and APC members nationwide to be on the alert about the scheming of Alhaji Kwankwaso.

The organisation indicated that, “the unfolding pockets of mischief-making ploys, antics and deviant behavioural traits being orchestrated by the former Governor of Kano State, Dr Kwankwaso and the current NNPP government led by Alhaji Abba Yusuf, to tarnish the good image and reputation of both the ruling APC and its National Chairman, Dr. Ganduje, will fail. “We stand resolutely in solidarity with Dr. Ganduje”, the statement concludes.

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