A group of concerned citizens of Kogi State has accused the police of plotting to compromise the November 16 governorship election in the state in favour of Governor Yahaya Bello.
They alleged that a special police unit to be commanded by one Superintendent Aminu Mohammed had been deployed to the state with full instructions to ensure that Bello emerged winner of the election at all cost.
Spokesman of the group, Williams Adebola, said part of the orders given the special police team drafted from Lagos was to arrest and intimidate prominent opposition leaders in the state.
He said: “As we officially begin the count down to the November 16 governorship election in Kogi state, it is important we interrogate the activities of key actors that are expected to feature prominently in the exercise. Understandably, the Nigeria Police Force as the lead security agency in the conduct of elections is one of such agencies.
“Being a critical institution of state saddled with the task of ensuring peaceful and violence-free elections, the police force is expected to be neutral, impartial and remain apolitical in its affairs.
“Sadly, as hopeful as we are ahead of the Kogi poll, credible information available to us indicate that the Nigeria Police Force has perfected plans to do the bidding of Governor Yahaya Bello and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election. Undoubtedly, this development should naturally give us cause for concern.
“It is indeed a sad commentary that the very police force that is supposed to ensure the sanctity of the electoral process has been given the ignominous assignment to rig the forthcoming election in favour of the APC.
“As you read through these lines, the police hierarchy in Abuja has concluded plans to deploy certain officers that would execute this assignment. Information at our disposal has it that an officer from a Special Protection Unit in Lagos has been redeployed to the Counter Terrorism Unit of the force in Lokoja as commander. There’s no doubt Superintendent of Police Aminu Mohammed has been dispatched to Kogi State to carry out Yahaya Bello’s dirty job.
“These newly redeployed officers already have their job clearly cut out for them, which is to harass, intimidate and arrest prominent members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and to compromise the entire process to favour their paymasters, Governor Yahaya Bello and APC.
Adebola added: “We understand the desperation on the part of Yahaya Bello and the APC. For a party that has been written off by the people and on the verge of being swept away, it is bent on deploying all resources at its disposal to manipulate the electoral process.
“Truth is, given Governor Bello’s disturbing, appalling and abysmally poor governance record, Kogites have collectively resolved to send him packing come November 16, 2019.
“IGP Adamu should reconsider the deal he’s struck with Yahaya Bello. I foresee disaster and shame at the end for both of them.”
REUTERS