One person has been confirmed dead following shooting at the Kogi Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary in Lokoja, the state capital in the early hours of Wednesday.
The deceased was said to have hailed from Koton-karfe in Kogi Local Government Area.
PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bode Ogunmola confirmed the death.
He however could not confirm if the deceased, who was buried same day in Koton-karfe according to Islamic rites, was a delegate.
When contacted, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), William Aya said the command had no report of any death from the shooting.
Governor Yahaya Bello has however condemned in strong terms the invasion of the PDP primary in the early hours of Wednesday.
The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Muhammed Onogwu, expressed disappointment with the development.
He berated the opposition PDP for failing to keep the law, as demonstrated by the rival All Progressives Congress (APC) during its governorship primary, less than a week earlier.
He directed the security agencies to get to immediately investigate the incident, declaring that it portended grave danger to the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Unknown gunmen disrupted the PDP governorship primry at the Lokoja Confluence Stadium.
The election ended abruptly when gunmen invaded the venue of the election.
Voting had ended and sorting of ballots were ongoing when the gunmen invaded the venue around 1.45 am.
Votes in eight out of the 10 ballot boxes had been counted and sorted before the commotion ensued, resulting in the aspirants, delegates and others scampering for safety.
The number of those that sustained injury could not be ascertained.
As at the time of filing this report, the chairman of the Electoral Committee, and governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, who
escaped unhurt, was holed up in a meeting with all the aspirants, party agents and the electoral panel, to resolve the ensuring debacle.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier fixed 12 midnight, September 5 (Thursday) as deadline for conduct of party primaries.
Source: The Nation
