Tension and uncertainty grip Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial elections, as violence and union activities threaten to disrupt the polls.
This is coming after a group of Igala elders has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Kogi and postpone the election.
The group, Kogi East Elders Council (KEEC), made the call shortly after the Inspector General of Police (IGP) visited the state and launched an investigation into the killings that occurred earlier in the week.
In a statement signed by its Secretary of Political Committee, Alphonsus K. Alhassan, the KEEC asked President Tinubu to appoint an administrator to run the state until normalcy is restored.
The group also demanded the immediate redeployment of the State Commissioner of Police, Bethrand Onuoha, Director of DSS, Navy Commander NU Akalezi and Superintendent of Police Ojo, accusing them of being compromised.
The Elders Council said a state of emergency is necessary to guarantee a free and fair election.
“We cannot tolerate the intimidation, harassment and slaughter of our people by anyone in the name of politics. We have had enough of this barbaric behaviour”, they said.
In Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, hundreds of women dressed in black staged a protest at the state police headquarters, demanding the removal of the Commissioner of Police, Tolani Alausa for alleged bias.
The women also urged President Tinubu, the IGP to ensure a peaceful November 11 election in the state, claiming that they have been threatened with violence.
