SDP Faults APC over Zonal Chairmen’s Defections to Ruling Party in Kogi

PDP, ADC biker over alleged collapse of structure for Melaye

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) Kogi State Chapter has faulted  the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over defections of all zonal  government chairmen and other party faithful to APC in the State.

This is just as the Peoples Democratic (PDP)   has claimed that ahead of the November 11, 2023 Governorship election in Kogi State, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Idah Local Government Area of the State has collapsed its structure and declared its support for Senator Dino Melaye of the PDP.

The  APC had last Thursday said  all zonal chairmen of SDP  had been received into the party to boost the chances the party’s flag bearer, Ododo Ahmed Usman.

But in swift reaction, the SPD stated that their membership is very intact In a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of  the party,Yahaya Bahawudeen copy of which was made available to newsmen.

“Our attention has been drawn to a press statement by the Governor of Kogi State,  claiming that the  three Zonal Chairmen of the SDP and all the 21 LGA Chairmen of the party had defected  to the APC.

“This revolting falsehood signed  on his behalf by one Mohammed Onogwu  said to be his Press Secretary was preceded by series of fake stories planted in the press including mainstream traditional media houses

“Some faceless blogs also went town with a disparaging fabrication to the effect that our candidate, Alhaji Ajaka had collapsed his campaign into that of the APC.

“The statement  has effectively proven that this governor that has been hunting and attacking our candidate and our party in the last couple of months is the purveyor of the falsehoods that had been trending in the media since Thursday.

“We are worried that Mr Yahaya Bello has graduated from unleashing violence on our party to this new low of peddling fake news.

“As can be recalled Yahaya Bello had in the last two months orchestrated  several attacks on our party and candidate which include the burning down of our Kogi State Secretariat and the gun attack on our candidate on June 3, 2023 personally led by the Governor.

“The crude falsehood about Ahaji Muritala Ajaka and our party members  are to say the least, petty, preposterous, naive and provocative and bereft of the sophistication expected of modern political campaign,” Bahawudeen stated.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic (PDP)PDP in Kogi State  has claimed that ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Kogi State, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Idah Local Government Area of the State, has collapsed its structure and declared its support for Senator Dino Melaye of the PDP.

This was contained in a statement signed by Senator Dino Media Team copy of which was made available in Lokoja  yesterday.

The statement read: “Making the declaration at the weekend in Lokoja, Kogi State, the Chairman of Idah Local Government Chapter of the ADC, Adejoh Haruna, said the entire local government executives of the party in Idah has resolved to support Senator Melaye.

“He noted that as a demonstration of their resolve, they have brought the ADC membership registers of all the ten wards in the local government as well as the issued and non-issued membership cards of the ADC to be delivered to the PDP governorship candidate.

“Presenting these items to Senator Melaye, the ADC Chairman explained that their decision was predicated on the readiness of the PDP candidate to rescue the people of Kogi State from the trauma of the last seven years.

“When we talk about readiness, experience, exposure and the capacity to deliver on good governance, Senator Dino Melaye is most prepared. We don’t need to waste our time and that is why we have collapsed our structure (ADC) in Idah local government to work for Senator Dino,” the party chairman added.

“Responding, Senator Melaye assured the ADC members and executives of his preparedness to run an all inclusive government in Kogi State when elected governor on November 11.

But while reacting to the claims in a press statement signed by the State Chairman of ADC, Adaji John stated that the PDP candidate might have  been scammed over the purported claim of  collapse of structure ADC  for Dino in Idah local government area of Kogi State.

He said: “Our attention has been drawn to a press  statement laced with a 40 second video by the Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, talking about the ‘collapsed of ADC structure” in Idah Council area of the state.

“In the said video, only Dino Melaye spoke to the imaginary ADC audience. No single face of the audience was shown, neither was the “ADC party materials’ the supposedly defectors brought was made open.

“Of course, a discerning mind will know the story is not true. But we were not surprised that such falsehood was been peddled by the media handlers of the PDP Governorship candidate.

“For a start, the name of the ADC Chairman for Idah council area is Adejo Ameadaji from Igalogba ward. Definitely, if it has been true that anybody visited or received Dino it’s to scam him – and they succeeded.

“This development is purely fake, and a move to extort Dino. The face showing in the video is not an ADC party member, in fact he is an ibaji man to the best of our knowledge and not a member of our party.

“Those faceless persons led by the ghost Adejoh Haruna whom the camera intentionally didn’t captured must have played on the low intelligence of Melaye or to pay him back in his own coins – because it is in public domain that Melaye is a scammer and mentor of scammers. This is purely a case of ‘Scamming the Scammer”.

“The crude falsehood from Dino Melaye would have been wished away save for the fact that innocent electorates may be confused about the stand of the ADC in the November 11 Governorship election. And for the sake of the naive populace, we ask them to disregard the purported news, the chairman stated.