Kogi: Elders Council demands state of emergency, shift in election
Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello
Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun
By Richard Elesho/Lokoja
A group which described itself as the Kogi East Elders Council (KEEC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the State over escalating insecurity ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The Council urged President Tinubu to appoint an administrator to oversee the affairs of the state.
A statement by the Secretary, of the Political Committee of KEEC, Alphonsus K. Alhassan also demanded that the governorship election, scheduled for November 11, be postponed.
Their demand, they said, is a fallout of political brigandage being allegedly deployed by the government of the day to foist a candidate on the people
They also demanded the redeployment of the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, Director of DSS, Navy Commander NU Akalezi and Superintendent of Police Ojo out of Kogi State immediately, alleging that they have been compromised.
“All the to-be redeployed officers should be made to face appropriate administrative probes and sanctions to serve as deterrents to officers who abuse their commissions.
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“The heads of security agencies in Kogi state can not pretend not to know where the insecurity emanates from. If they claimed not to know, they have failed woefully in their mandates and do not deserve their employment as agents of the state,” the statement read.
The Elders Council argued that a state of emergency is necessary to ensure the upcoming election is free and fair.
They also argued that a state of emergency would allow the security agencies to focus on restoring law and order in the state.
“Elections are meant to be opportunities for people to choose their leaders, party affiliation notwithstanding freely.
“What we are seeing in Kogi State and Kogi East in particular leaves much to be desired. We can not watch our people intimidated, harassed and slaughtered endlessly by anybody in the name of politics. We have had enough of this beastly behaviour.”
They also warned sons and daughters of Kogi East who made themselves available to be used to perpetrate violence to desist from such a dastardly act, saying that posterity will judge them when their paymasters must have left office
