The aftermath of the recently concluded governorship election in Kogi State has seen the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition, Social Democratic Party (SDP), embroiled in a war of words over the purported attack on the Secretary of the State Election Petition Tribunal, David Mike.
The SDP alleges that the attack occurred on Monday when political thugs, allegedly hired, assaulted David Mike in Lokoja. J.S. Okutepa SAN, counsel to SDP, released a statement on Tuesday claiming that the Secretary was in possession of copies of the election petition filed on December 2, 2023, by the legal team of Alhaji Murtala Yakubu and the SDP.
According to Okutepa, “The said petition was duly received and stamped on 2/12/2023 and certified by Mr U. D. Mike on the said date. By the provisions of Section 285(5) of 1999, election petitions are to be filed within 21 days after the date of the declaration of the result of the election.”
In a swift response, the APC dismissed the allegations, stating that the reported attack has merely exposed the SDP’s “atrocities against democracy.” Kingsley Fanwo, the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC campaign council, issued a statement contending that the alleged attack was a desperate move by the SDP and ethnic jingoists to portray the state as unsafe. Fanwo suggested that the SDP orchestrated the supposed attack on the Tribunal Secretary, Mr. Mike David, to cover up their plans of filing a petition against the November 11 election outside the permitted timeframe under the Electoral Act.
Fanwo questioned the timing of the alleged attack, stating, “Why was he not attacked before the midnight of December 3, 2023, when the 21-day window closed? Why is the SDP the first to know about the purported attack? How did they know that he was working on their so-called petition at the time he was allegedly attacked? Why has the SDP turned itself into the advocate for the Secretary? The public cannot be misled. The people know exactly what is happening.”
The clash between the APC and SDP highlights the intensifying political tension in Kogi State, as both parties exchange accusations and counter-accusations regarding the alleged attack on the Tribunal Secretary. The unfolding events underscore the contentious nature of post-election disputes and the broader challenges associated with electoral processes in the region.