SSS in Hot Chase After Kogi Gov’s Aide

Posted by admin Kogi, State News Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Over alleged plans to bomb rerun venue || Governor disowns him || The State Security Service (SSS), acting on intelligence, is currently in a hot chase after Mr. Ogwu Achemu a.k.a Araka, the special assistant to Governor Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State on Youth Empowerment, over an alleged plan to bomb the venue of the rescheduled gubernatorial primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

LEADERSHIP learnt that the aide has gone underground.

Security sources told LEADERSHIP yesterday that the SSS uncovered a plot to bomb the Lokoja stadium venue of the primaries and cause pandemonium.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP had cancelled the gubernatorial primaries conducted in Kogi and Kano states following complaints of malpractices and ordered a fresh exercise.

There have been media reports that the PDP could challenge – or even defy – the directive of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that fresh primaries would breach the 2010 Electoral Act.

Mr Jibrin Isah Echocho was said to have won the disputed gubernatorial primaries, but the PDP is having sleepless nights over the fact that the aspirant was dismissed from Afribank and is currently in court on a 32-count charge involving fraud.

However, Mr. Achemu told LEADERSHIP last night on telephone that he was not on the run and will be in his office at the government house today.

“No. I am not on the run. I went to Abuja and I am just returning now. Tomorrow, I will be at my duty post at the government house, Lokoja,” he said.

When contacted, the director-general, press affairs to the state governor, Mr. Richard Elesho denied the governor’s involvement.

“The governor does not breed thugs . He is a law abiding citizen. He is not running for any political office now and so has no reason to disrupt the PDP primaries.

“This story of thugs invading the state is strange to me and I am not aware of it. The aide of the governor could not have done the dastardly act in the name of the governor.

The PDP had fixed the gubernatorial rerun election for both Kogi and Kano states for tomorrow.

Since the conduct of the gubernatorial primaries earlier in the month, lobbyists for and against the cancellation of the outcome, had thronged the national headquarters of the party in Abuja.

Apart from alleging that the exercise was manipulated, critics have also canvassed that other ethnic nationalities in the state should be given the opportunity to produce the party’s flag-bearer for the April poll. Igalas have dominated political power.

Yesterday, the leaders of Kogi West Political Summit also warned that the rest of Kogi state, which controls over 55 percent of the electorate, may decide to take their fate in their own hands if the “marginalisation continues”.

The leaders therefore, called on the party leadership to prevent the impending crisis in the state and go ahead with the rerun as planned to ensure that a candidate from Kogi West emerged.

According to them, “We are loyal party members who believe in the party’s policy of power rotation. While Kogi East has produced leaders since the creation of the state 19 years ago, we insist that power be rotated to the West in the interest of fairness and fair-play.

“Prince Sola Akanmode is the choice of our people and anything short of his candidacy will split the votes of Kogi state and this will not augur well for the party, as other parties are waiting in the wings for any slip.”

Kogi West, comprising three federal constituencies namely, Kabba-Bunu Ijumu, Kotonkarfi, Yagba also has prominent political leaders which include Major General David Jemibewon (Retd), two-time military governor and senator, Chief Tunde Ogbeha, former deputy governor in the state, Chief Samuel Akande ,as well as former Attorney–General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN).

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