The All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Governor Yahaya Bello, denied the Kogi State Labour Party access to the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja, just 24 hours before its presidential mega event was scheduled to take place there on Tuesday, December 13, 2022.
The Kogi State Chairman of the Labour Party, Hon. Suleiman Abdul Ahmed, spoke to journalists on Monday and criticized the Kogi State Government’s actions as wicked and anti-democratic. He also said that the party’s candidate for president, Peter Obi, was going to be in Lokoja on Tuesday to campaign.
Ahmed stressed that the party had repeatedly written to the Kogi State Government but had been rejected right before their chief was scheduled to arrive.
He says that the party is still committed to making sure the campaign goes as planned, even though the state government is upset.
Ahmed said that the Labour Party is working to free people from the chains of poverty and the bad leadership of the current APC government.
Ahmed bemoaned the widespread damage to the Labour Party’s billboards by thugs in Kogi State who are thought to be loyal to the ruling APC, warning party followers not to be discouraged by the latest incident.
Ahmed continued, “I’m not convinced they would be in office today if they had been denied the chance to use the stadium for a campaign.” The truth is that some people use bizarre characters. There are campaign billboards and posters everywhere you go. There is a law in Kogi State that requires you to pay a lot of money only to put up a campaign billboard.
“The government implemented these policies in an effort to prevent electing competent candidates, but that strategy will fail.” The All Progressive Congress’ (APC’s) leadership in Kogi State and throughout Nigeria has grown old with the populace. Therefore, refusing individuals access to facilities is not a solution. Credible candidates will undoubtedly receive the majority of the vote.
“Violence is a shared human experience.” The Obidients are us. No matter what, the election will take place tomorrow. Despite being inside a forest, The issue has never been one of money. They made a number of attempts to demoralize us. Even the stadium budget was quadrupled in an effort to discourage us from using the amenities. They are purposefully acting in this manner at the very last minute so that the campaign will fail. The stadium’s managers said that we were not allowed admission because of a top-down directive.
The LP chairman, on the other hand, denied claims in the media that the Labour Party has a faction, saying that they are getting stronger every day and are about to take over Nigeria.
He stated: “Mischief makers are keen to explore how they can divide the party because they are afraid of the rising political profile of the Labour Party in Kogi State.” Additionally, we are aware of those who are employed by the incumbent.
Those who ruled this state and destroyed it People who have been withholding paychecks for a long time and will only pay in percentages; people who believe that the state should regress rather than advance. “They already know that the public will reject them at the polls; thus, their first priority is to sow division inside the party,” he continued.
