The Kogi state Deputy Governor,Yomi Awoniyi has charged the Action Congress of Nigeria Kogi State Chapter to focus on rebuilding the party for the future rather than cry foul over the expected victory of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forth coming council poll knowing fully well that the ACN has no strong footing in the state.
The Deputy Governor’s charge followed the accusation made by the State Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria,Alhaji Haddy Ametuo who accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party of plans to subvert the wishes of the electorate in the forthcoming council poll in the state.
In a statement at the weekend in Lokoja, the ACN chieftian said it would not augur well for the state if the PDP rigged the process all in its bid to remain perpetually in power.
Haddy alleged that the Divisional Police Officer in Ijumu local government has been harassing and intimidating their supporters in a bid to weaken them before the election, calling on the state commissioner of police to call his men to order.
According to the ACN chieftain,the security agencies are supposed to be neutral so as to ensure law and order,pointing out that he strongly believed that the state commissioner of police would not tolerate a situation where his men would be used to cause crisis in the state.
He further alleged that the State Deputy Governor,Yomi Awoniyi has forwarded a new set of names as presiding officers and polling clerks for the five local governments in Okun land,after the state electoral umpire had conducted training for these categories of officers ahead of the council poll.
He expressed confident that the Action Congress of Nigeria would convincingly win in 11 local governments of the state,if the election was free and fair.
But in a swift reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the state deputy governor, Mike Abu denied the allegations, saying that the appointment of electoral officers is the sole responsibility of the state electoral commission and not the deputy
governor. He described the ACN chairman as a man bereft of ideas on how elections are conducted,appealed to him to acquaint himself with the electoral process and accept the inadequacies of his party rather than engaging in base less propaganda. He urged the ACN to focus on how to save the party from the crisis arising from its internal problems of imposition of candidates by its leadership in the state and not put their expected failure on the doorsteps of anyone else.
The Deputy Governor noted that with the superlative performance of Capt Idris Wada as Governor,the PDP will make a clean sweep of the council areas,accused the ACN of leaving in a fools paradise.
