The national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Okey Nwosu, has alerted of an alleged plot to arrest and detain the party’s governorship candidate for the Kogi State governorship election, Hon. Leke Abejide, in a frame-up, allegedly on criminal charges.
He admitted that the party’s candidate actually threatened a former state chairman of the party, Mr. Kingsley Temitope Ogga, that he would meet his Waterloo, adding however that the threat was of a biblical nature; not for physical harm, but divine judgment for repaying Abejide with evil for the good done him.
Recall that the gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr. Murtala Ajaka, made similar allegations of planned arrest and threat, even going to court to get an order which compelled security forces to provide him with protection in the state.
Nwosu who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Thursday noted that the plot to arrest Abejide, a member of House of Representatives for Yagba Federal Constituency, was hatched to scuttle his home-coming to Kogi State and reception slated for Friday and Saturday, possibly detain him in other to distract his “flourishing” campaign.
Nwosu stated: “Our attention has been brought to the shenanigans sponsored by agents of the Kogi State Government against our indefatigable Governorship Candidate for Kogi State, Hon Leke Abejide. The latest prank in connivance with security agencies in the state is the stage-managed complaints of criminal intimidation lodged against Hon Leke Abejide by one Kingsley Temitope Ogga at the Lokoja Magistrates Court with the sole intention to criminalise, arrest, detain and distract our candidate.
“The shenanigans are orchestrated as part of the attempt to scuttle his home coming this weekend, which reception programme has been organised and embraced by thousands of his supporters to expand the campaign.
“We are all aware that Hon Abejide is a law-abiding lawmaker and a good citizen of Nigeria and Kogi State. Everybody in his constituency where he is dutifully serving them in his second term in the House of Representatives know him as that. There is nothing stopping him from exercising his constitutional and legitimate rights to run his campaign as our governorship candidate. If the intention is to distract Hon Abejide from his flourishing campaign activities, we better forewarn the perpetrators that the plot is dead on arrival”.
The ADC national chairman stated further that,”The people of Kogi State are desirous to have a quality and performing governor who will not be chasing rats when the house is burning, and our candidate is that man – Leke Abejide.
In the ADC global campus, I have received encouraging messages from eminent Kogi citizens that Hon Leke Abejide is the best candidate suited for the governor of Kogi State at this time for equity and for peace to reign.
Since the commencement of this dispensation of democracy, Hon Abejide has demonstrated that he is one of the best parliamentarians and somebody that cares not only for his constituents, but the people of his state and Nigeria as a whole and his handwork has shown that he is peace loving, he has not troubled anyone.
“We are calling on the government in power in Kogi State to give peace a chance where the God-anointed governor will work for his victory and be voted for by the people. We in the ADC do not want to engage in any act of thuggery. We want a free and fair contest, because we are sure of victory under a free and fair contest. Let it also be on record that the young man, Kingsley Temitope, who is being used as a pawn by agents of the state government to cause problems for our party in Kogi State is longer a member of ADC.
“In the pendency of the multiple litigations he instituted and instigated by the opposition using him, it is confirmed that Kingsley Temitope kept begging Hon Leke Abejide for medical assistance and feeding assistance, which he has been collecting for the past four years in addition to salaries and car gift from the same Hon Leke Abejide who he is persecuting till date.
His dubious claims of intimidation and threat to life as contained in his petition, quoting Hon Abejide as publicly threatening him (Temitope) that he would meet his Waterloo, is a statement Hon Abejide will not deny making. The Bible says in Proverbs 17:13 “If you repay good with evil, you will never get evil out of your house’. This Biblical injunction is the law of God which Hon Abejide referred to as Temitope’s “Waterloo”. This message from Hon Abejide is a surrender to the Divine. Kingsley Temitope Ogga has repayed a good man with evil and God will surely judge him according to the scriptures.
“For record purposes, Kingsley Temitope Ogga was actually recommended to be chairman of the Kogi State chapter of ADC by Hon Leke Abejide and because of Hon Abejide, we gave him that position of acting chairman until he was was eventually confirmed as state chairman. But he has shown to be a traitor, not only in the Kogi State chapter but at the national level where he connived with miscreants to cause problems for our party, which by the grace of God, the Court of Appeal has ruled against them.
“It is official: Kingsley Temitope Ogga is no longer a member of the ADC since our last convention. He has been expelled from his ward level to local government, state and national levels of the ADC. In as much as our door is open to all Nigerians, in as much as he still wants to return to our party, he has to go to his ward where he was enrolled”.