Former Kogi State governorship candidate and prominent political figure Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka has officially dissociated himself from recent demonstrations staged against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.
Describing media reports linking him to the action as false, baseless, and misleading, Ajaka clarified that he had no hand in organizing or financing the agitation.
​The clarification comes after members of the Coalition of Kogi East Youths Association converged on Wednesday morning, September 9, 2026, at the national headquarters of INEC in Maitama, Abuja.
The group protested the alleged marginalization and exclusion of Kogi East Senatorial District from the electoral body’s ongoing proposed ward creation and delineation exercise.
During the demonstration, representatives of the coalition presented a petition to INEC official Mrs. Okafor, demanding an immediate suspension of any ward expansion that excludes their district.
​In a formal statement issued on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, by his Head of Media and Public Communications, Prince Tijani Dauda, Ajaka refuted claims connecting him to the demonstration.
The disclaimer was issued in direct response to a media report circulated by a group identified as the “Igala Vanguard” and authored by one Engr. Lawrence Ankpa, which attributed the protest to Ajaka’s sponsorship.
​”For the avoidance of doubt, Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka did not authorize, sponsor, direct, commission or coordinate the protest,” the statement read. “Attributing the actions of independent citizens to Ajaka is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and unfairly drag his name into an issue with which he has no connection.”
​While defending the constitutional rights of citizens to engage in peaceful assembly, Prince Tijani Dauda noted that Igala youths do not require the permission or backing of any political figure to assemble and advocate for their communities’ electoral representation.
​The media team warned political operatives against using pseudo-identities and fictitious platforms for blackmail or character assassination.
The statement affirmed that Ajaka holds the INEC Chairman and the Commission in high esteem, maintaining full confidence that the electoral body will discharge its duties with fairness, professionalism, and strict adherence to the rule of law.
