On Saturday, the operatives of the secret police invited Alhaji Ododo Ahmed Usman, the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kogi State for questioning regarding a petition against him by some members of the opposition in the state.
It was gathered that the APC candidate was grilled for several hours by the Department of State Service (DSS).
This development, it was further gathered, was in effort to avoid any political crisis among various political parties before the upcoming election, the DSS decided to invite the APC governorship candidate for a brief discussion on issues that will bring peace to the state.
A petition against him was by some members of the opposition parties ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State.
Speaking with newsmen after meeting with the DSS, Alhaji Ododo Ahmed Usman described the invitation by DSS as normal.
In his view, he had fruitful discussions with the secret operatives, saying that as a good citizen of the state, himself and his party will always maintain peace in the state.
He then assured that the coming election will be free and fair, adding that, as far as he was concerned, there is no tension in the state ahead of the election.
The APC candidate urged his followers to continue to maintain peace before, during, and after the governorship election.
He insisted that there is no opposition in the state, assuring that, by the grace of God, he will win the forthcoming election.
Responding, the kogi state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said that Ododo was invited by the DSS, and as a law-abiding citizen who is aspiring to lead the state, he honoured the invitation.
“The allegations contained in the petition are frivolous and unfounded, but it was incumbent on the APC Governorship Candidate to respect a constituted authority such as the DSS. Alhaji Ododo was questioned by a team of operatives at the DSS for hours, and he gave convincing explanations to the interrogators.
We commend the professionalism of the DSS and pledge our cooperation to whatever measures taken or that would be taken to ensure a peaceful Kogi and a peaceful poll in November 2023.
“We assure supporters of the APC governorship candidate that he has since left the DSS Office to continue his consultations with Kogites ahead of the Guber poll. Our commitment to peace and tranquillity is iron cast.
“Every Kogite and every supporter of Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo should endeavour to be peaceful in all their activities towards the election”, Fanwo said
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