The Kogi State Police Command Police has confirmed the reported attack on the residence of INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Gabriel Longpet.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, who confirmed the attack to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja on Friday, described the incident as very unfortunate and wicked.
He explained that the attackers came to the REC’s residence around 3:00 a.m. on Friday but met stiff resistance from security operatives.
“The joy of it all is that the hoodlums did not succeed in their nefarious act as my officers gallantly repelled their attack and burnt the vehicle they came with.
“Right now, there are soldiers stationed in the house alongside our personnel to keep watch and ensure safety.
“Again, all the junctions around the house and INEC office have heavily armed soldiers and policemen keeping watch to forestall any eventuality,” he said.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress and the Social Democratic Party in the state, while condemning the attack, traded blame.
The SDP called for an immediate investigation into the incident to bring the perpetrators to book, while the APC blamed it on the SDP with a call for the immediate arrest of the party’s governorship candidate, Alhaji Muritala Ajaka over the attack.
The Director of Media and Publicity/spokesperson for the APC Campaign Council, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, in an emergency news conference on Friday, said that aside from the INEC commissioner’s residence, there were attempted attacks on the Government House and the party’s secretariat.
He accused the SDP of trying desperately to cover their electoral offences in Kogi East in the just concluded November 11 governorship election and attempting to corrupt INEC documents that could be used at the election petition tribunal.
Fanwo called on the police, department of state services and other security agencies to immediately arrest what he described as a slide to anarchy in the state by arresting Ajaka and his supporters for allegedly masterminding the attack on the residence of the REC.
“The attack was perpetrated days after we alerted the nation of plans by the SDP thugs to attack INEC.
“They have finally done their worst by attacking the residence of the Kogi INEC commissioner, engaging security agents in a fierce gun battle and eventually burning down some vehicles in the residence and the area,” he said.
However, the SDP through its Director of New Media, Muri/Sam Campaign Council, Mr Isaiah Ijele, in a statement said, “We strongly condemn the assassination attempt on the INEC REC.
“We call for all those who have been involved in the protests, inciting violence and making provocative statements, to be apprehended and brought to justice,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission said some unidentified gunmen launched an attack on the residence of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lokoja, Kogi State in the early hours of Friday.
The attack occurred a day after the state INEC’s office in Lokoja was besieged by a mob that barricaded all entrances to the office and prevented staff from carrying out their duties.
They also prevented attorneys representing political parties involved in the recent off-cycle governorship election from inspecting documents and materials used in the election.
It took the intervention of the Nigerian Army to return to normalcy at the state headquarters.
In a statement shared on their X account on Friday, INEC noted that a team of combined security personnel have been deployed to protect the residence.
