SECURITY ALERT ON KOGI ELECTIONS
2019 Kogi elections may end up being the bloodiest and the most rigged election in the history of Nigeria. This is not a question of being an alarmist. It is rather because the incumbent Governor, having failed woefully in governance depends principally on the use of security agents to rig and manipulate the outcome of the elections in favor of the ruling government.
A taste of what to expect in the elections in Kogi has started manifesting. In the Kogi Central Senatorial District where the Governor hails, members of opposition are now harassed, harangued, maimed, killed and kidnapped on regular basis. The latest victim was one Enesi who was recently killed by armed men while several others went missing in a recent night raids and hunts for men of the opposition parties in the Kogi Central.
In the same Central, it was it is an open secret that the houses of Commissioner for Water Resources, the Commissioner for Local Government and many of the the local government administrators are now unhidden armouries where huge number of sophisticated guns and ammunitions are off loaded at nights by purported “men in uniform”, unchallenged. It was being speculated that over 3000 assorted automatic weapons have been acquired by the Governor and hidden in different locations across the State. The State local tabloids and social medial have the news that the Governor has vowed that he was ready to kill anyone who stands on his way in the coming elections.
The Kogi East will definitely be a battle ground also.It is the home of the all powerful Chief of Staff who has vowed to deliver his constituency to the Governor at all cost. Recently at Idah, many vehicles belonging to Atai Idoko were destroyed by APC members while on campaign rallies. Pockets of violence from Kogi East are reported on daily basis and would be on the increase as we approach elections. These most troubling aspects of these violence is that they were often committed in the glaring eyes of security agents who chose to look the other ways while these crimes are being committed.
The Western Senatorial District appears calm as of today but we believe it is an uneasy and heavily pregnant calm. This Senatorial District is the home place of Dino. The Governor is betting it everywhere with his life that he would rather die than allow a free and fair elections that would produce Dino. Since Dino enjoys cult followership in these areas, the modus operandi here will be to scare many away people from voting units so as to allow for heavily falsified results against Dino and Atiku.
The number of militants in training in Kogi is becoming very scaring, worrisome, alarming and really frightening. The men of the Vigilante Service are now being secretly trained in the use of sophisticated weapons. The first batch of about 1000 men and women have passed out. Currently at the Lokoja Stadium, there are over 700 vigilante men/women in camp undergoing military training for the elections. Police and military uniforms are smuggled into the State for use in the elections.
Apart from these number being trained in the State, reliable information is that over 1000 militants are currently undergoing training in Yobe State for Kogi elections. The whole stories are really very worrisome.
The intention is to kill and harass opposition members as much as possible. It is also intended that many strong opposition members would be kidnapped prior to the elections. Information is that many should be scared away from voting, especially in the opposition strongholds.
By and large, the elections in Kogi may witness tales of anguish and failures except urgent steps are taken to counteract the devilish plans of the State Governor. The on goings in Kogi State must be exposed to the whole world by all means possible in combination with other measures to be urgently determined. This is a situation where a stitch in time will save nine.