The Kogi State All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Campaign Council has refuted claims made by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) regarding an alleged plot to attack the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Lokoja.
Instead, they asserted that the SDP’s warnings were a smokescreen to hide their intentions of setting fire to the INEC office and falsely implicating the APC.
In a strongly worded statement issued by Kingsley Fanwo, the Director of Media and Publicity/Spokesperson for the APC Campaign Council, on Sunday night, the council pointed fingers at the SDP for raising false alarms.
They accused the SDP of trying to cover their “propaganda-fuelled claims” about the credibility of the past Governorship Poll in Kogi State, hailed as one of the best in its democratic history.
The statement emphasized the need for increased security measures around INEC offices across the state, urging security agencies to be vigilant against any potential threat.
Fanwo reiterated that the SDP’s claims were baseless attempts to divert attention from their defeat in the elections. He criticized the SDP’s post-election behaviour, labelling it as an attempt to blame everyone else except themselves for their shortcomings.
His words:
“No amount of propaganda can help their baseless, senseless, unsubstantiated claims after their scorecard at the Poll was at complete variance with their boastful pre-election posture.
“They have resorted to attacking INEC and everyone except themselves. Such is the sorry state of a party and its candidate who lacks the political pedigree to challenge the politically rooted APC in Kogi State.
“Despite their intimidation and blood-letting rampage in some parts of the state, INEC conducted a credible, free and fair election and the security agencies also ensured that the votes of the people counted.
“We commend Kogites for standing up to ethnic bigots by responding resoundingly with votes that reflected our unity as a people.
“No one is afraid of the legal challenge of the SDP. They failed to win the election, failed to steal ballot boxes, failed to disunite our state and our people. They were in the race to fail endlessly.”
Earlier, the SDP, through its New Media DG, Isaiah Ijele, had issued a statement expressing concerns over the security of the INEC office, citing rumoured plans to burn down the facility by unnamed entities.
APC wants to burn INEC office to temper with evidence but to blame SDP.