Kogi election: Thugs attack Kogi SDP chair, harass gov candidate

Suspected political thugs on Tuesday attacked  the Kogi State  Chairman of  the Social Democratic Party, Alhaji Mouktar Atimah, while trying  to  ensure that  the party’s candidate  for Saturday’s governorship poll in the state Natasha Akpoti was allowed into the venue for a stakeholders’ meeting  in Lokoja.

The meeting was organised by   the Independent National Electoral Commission  for the  24 parties  for the polls to  sign a peace accord.

INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu; the  Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; Governor Yahaya Bello, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the election,   were among those in attendance.

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Trouble started when Akpoti  was being  prevented from entering the event hall of Idrinana Hotel venue for  the meeting. The development  resulted in an altercation between her and security officials  at the entrance.

It was learnt the  security officials pleaded with her to go back because the governor was already seated, a plea to which she rejected, saying she was invited for the meeting.

At this point, Atimah, who  was trying to mediate, was  said to have been manhandled by some thugs, who also  allegedly harassed  Akpoti.

The timely intervention of  the police   at the venue, who  fired  tear gas to disperse the thugs, saved the situation.   Atimah, who spoke to reporters after the incident, decried the development.

However, the meeting went ahead with all participating  parties calling  for a violence free election.

Yakubu reiterated the commission’s  readiness for  the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

He said  they  had completed 12 out of the 14 schedules slated to be carried out before the Kogi election. Punch