The leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi State has described the purported defection of its state officials to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as laughable and untrue as all members of the party are very much intact.
It was reported that SDP Zonal Chairmen and all the local government party Chairmen across the 21 local government areas of the state have decamped to the ruling APC.
But the party in its statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary, Yahaya Bahawudeen, said the SDP was rather ushering in more new members onto its fold and not otherwise.
“Attention has been drawn to a press statement by the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello, claiming that the three Zonal Chairmen of the SDP and all the 21 LGA Chairmen of the party had decamped to the APC.”
“This revolting falsehood signed on his behalf by one Mohammed Onogwu said to be his Press Secretary was preceded by series of fake stories planted in the press including mainstream traditional media houses”
“Some faceless blogs also went town with a disparaging fabrication to the effect that our candidate, Alhaji Ajaka had collapsed his campaign into that of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
“The statement by Mr Yahaya Bello has effectively proven that this governor that has been hunting and attacking our candidate and our party in the last couple of months is the purveyor of the falsehoods that had been trending in the media since Thursday.”
“We are worried that Mr Yahaya Bello has graduated from unleashing violence on our party to this new low of peddling fake news.”
$As can be recalled Yahaya Bello had in the last two months orchestrated several attacks on our party and candidate which include the burning down of our Kogi State Secretariat and the gun attack on our candidate on June 3, 2023, personally led by the Governor.”
The party in the statement also said that the crude falsehood about Alhaji Muritala Ajaka and party members are petty, preposterous, naive and provocative, and bereft of the sophistication expected of modern political campaigns.
“We want to emphasize that no single member of the executive of the SDP in Kogi has decamped or defected to the APC. The name of the Zonal Chairman of Kogi East is Pastor Sunday Atabor; That of Kogi Central is Musa Salawu Odogba while the Zonal Chairman of Kogi West District is Hon Emmanuel Adebayo A.”
“All these Zonal Chairmen and the LG Chairmen are not only steadfastly in the party but they are by the grace of God leading the charge to dislodge Mr Yahaya Bello and his cabinet of thugs in the forthcoming November 11, Governorship Elections.”
“The names Suleiman Isah and Zubairu Ibrahim given as Zonal Chairmen of Kogi East and Central which was contained in Mr Yahaya Bello’s press statement
are fictitious.”
“These are not existing human beings and we challenge Mr Bello to produce these invented ghosts before the public.”
The party, therefore, called on media houses to be circumspect of stories emanating from such individuals whom it described as enemies of the state
“We call on the good people of Kogi State to ignore these desperate falsehoods invented by Mr. Bello to douse the raging resolve of the masses of our people to liberate our state from his vice stranglehold.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, Alhaji Ajaka remains the leading governorship candidate in Kogi State and he is ever resolved to lead the people in the impending battle of liberation to save the soul of our dear state from eight years of hunger, violence, and all-round misgovernance.”
“It will take more than Bello’s desperate acts of violence and misinformation to stop the resolve of the people to effect a change,” the statement added.