Ahead of Kogi Governorship election, the PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council in Kogi State has urged the military and other security agencies to stop the influx of armed thugs into the state.
The PDP also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the state government of bringing the armed thugs into the state to prevent the people from voting for the candidates of their choice.
The council, in a statement by its Deputy Director on Public Communication, Austin Usman, described the alleged influx of armed thugs as an affront and a direct attempt by the current administration to bring mayhem on the hapless electorate.
The statement read: “Heavily armed thugs have started arriving from neighboring states of Benue, Edo, Ondo, Enugu and Lagos; with Agatu warriors from Benue fully on the list of mercenaries hired to kill and maim the innocent people during the exercise.
“The party challenges security agents to display professional approach, by going round major hotels and lodges in Lokoja, the state capital, some designated hotels in Anyigba in Kogi East, where cache of arms is stocked for election purposes by November 16.
“The state government has also taken possession of some hardened criminals that escaped from Koton-Karfe Prison for the election, just as the allegations against the Speaker of the state Assembly, Mathew Kolawole, of haven imported some set of thugs from Lagos, and it is confirmed that they have arrived in the state capital.
“The state government has designated their arm caches in federal constituencies ranging from Lokoja, Kabba, Okene, Ajaokuta, Yagba East, Adavi, Ankpa, Anyigba and Idah, in hotels and government lodges, where the hoodlums are kept under guarded police cover, to carry out their operations spread across the 21 local government areas.
“The PDP alerts the international community like Amnesty International, UNIDO, the US Embassy and the UK High Commission to beam their searchlights on the Kogi election, as the current governor has declared war on the people of the state to win the election at all costs.