The Social Democratic Party Governorship Candidate in the November governorship election in Kogi State, Murtala Ajaka, has alleged that the violence in the state is being sponsored by the government.
Murtala Ajaka stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
“All the violence in Kogi is state sponsored. The state government is the problem. They are the ones sponsoring all these attackers. The attacks are caused by the government through the council chairmen.
“I don’t have a history of violence. I did not have a police case in my life. How can they then describe me as a violent man? The problem of the state is the state governor.
“The governor is arming thugs. You saw what happened about four days ago. The thugs are killing each other. The video is on the internet. He his arming these boys with AK-47, especially in the eastern part of the state.
“One of his thugs was killed by another thug of his. As I am talking to you there are about four thugs in the custody of the Nigerian military.”
But responding, the state Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said that Ajaka had no antecedent.
He said that the government has decided that it would not join issues with Ajaka.
He said, “We know who the contenders are. We know those who are stirring violence, who have engaged in blackmail and name-calling and all of that.
“We need to look at the pedigree in the country. For example the vice president was a successful banker. Alhaji Yahaya Bello was a successful civil servant before he came into politics. When you talk about Murtala Ajaka, what pedigree, what antecedent, what integrity is he bringing onto the table?
“He was an errand boy at the APC national secretariat, before the present governor of Kogi State supported him and became the deputy national publicity of the party.”