The Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Murtala Ajaka has said thugs loyal to Governor Yahaya Bello were responsible for the assassination attempt on the Residential Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Dr. Hale Longpet.
Longpet escaped assassination attempt in his Lokoja residence at 03:00 am (midnight) on Friday.
Ajaka, in a Press Statement released on Friday by the Director of New Media, Muri/Sam Campaign Council/SDP, Isaiah Davies Ijele also condemned the assassination attempt and also called on Bethrand Onuoha, the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command to act immediately, arrest the culprits and hold them accountable. The statement also urged the Police to refrain from victimizing loyal members of SDP and focus on finding the actual offenders.
Other parts of the statement reads thus:
“Election should not be treated as a war, nor should it be a matter of life and death. If the election was won fairly and transparently, then the legal process should be allowed to run its course without interference. However, it is unacceptable for thugs, in their high numbers yesterday, to be subject to fake protests, insisting that, on no account should forensic teams be allowed to do their jobs”.
“We are grateful for the timely intervention of the Army, as the man and his family could have been wiped out overnight. The attackers also burnt his vehicles and took other valuables. This kind of behavior is not acceptable in a democratic society”.
“Those individuals who have been involved in these attacks on INEC REC must be held accountable for their actions. We call for all those who have been involved in the protests, inciting violence and making provocative statements, to be apprehended and brought to justice”.
“We stand with Dr. Longpet and his family during this difficult time, and we will continue to work towards a peaceful and transparent electoral process”.
“Murtala Yakubu Ajaka and his Party SDP are not protesting anywhere around the nation as we are already in court to seek redress and as such; we call on the Commissioner Bethrand Onuoha to arrest those protesters in the name of SDP and it Candidate Murtala Yakubu Ajaka if he’s not an accomplice of the protest”.
