2019 polls: Ex-governor decries political violence in Kogi

Former Governor of Kogi State and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, has refuted rumour that he has resigned from the party and quit partisan politics.

In the aftermath of the violent and widely militarised 2019 elections held in the state, news went viral that the two-time governor had retired from politics.It would be recalled that on the eve of the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections, Idris was reportedly forced to return to Abuja at the Banda entry point into Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

He was prevented from travelling to his hometown, Icheke, in Omala Local Council by men allegedly dressed in military uniform. Security men attached to him were also ordered to disembark from the vehicle and were arrested.

Also caught in the Abuja-Lokoja Highway stop and search roadblock mounted by the masked security men were former governor Idris Wada, Senator Dino Melaye and PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.

Senator Melaye later disclosed how he was able to make his way into his Ayetoro-Gbede hometown through some “celestial powers”.In a statement issued by his media office in Lokoja at the weekend, Idris said although he expressed dissatisfaction at irregularities and widespread state violence during the recent general elections in Kogi State, he never withdrew his PDP membership and urged people to disregard the claims as antics of his detractors.