There is high tension in Taraba state as the people’s Democratic party (PDP)and the All Progressive Congress (APC), have continue to accuse each other of plotting to rig the presidential and national assembly elections reschedule to hold this Saturday
Addressing a press conference today in Jalingo, a Civil society group, Taraba Volunteer Group (TVG), raised alarm over alleged deployment of three thousand (3000) ‘fake’ soldiers to disrupt the next Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly election in Taraba state by the APC led federal government.
The state coordinator of the group, Joseph Terence said that the same set of soldiers had earlier taken over major check points in the state prior to the postponed election last Saturday with a brief to ensure smooth passage of fake electoral materials by the agents of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC.
Terence explained that the deployment was a follow through on threats earlier made by the national leadership of the APC to take over Taraba state from the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP, at all cost and in line with the directives of the president that soldiers should deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers during the forthcoming general election.
“As a civil society group, we are concerned with the conduct of a free, fair, peaceful and credible polls, but we regret to state that the chances of achieving this in the forthcoming election in Taraba state are at grave risk. There is a well grounded plan to cause chaos in Taraba state and pave way for the election to be manipulated against the popular wish of the people.
“We gathered reliably that Three Thousand fake soldiers were deployed to Taraba state, who came and took over all the major checkpoints that were hitherto dismantled. These are fake soldiers but were heavily armed. These arrangements for rigging the election are in fulfilment of threats by APC top shots recently. The governorship candidate of the APC also requested recently that the president should give him enough security in the state ahead of the election. We strongly believe that these fake soldiers are a fulfilment of that request.”
Reacting, the spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state Aaron Artimas, has challenged the members of the group to identify the fake soldiers and report them to the relevant security agencies so that they can be arrested and prosecuted.
Artimas said that the “APC was relying on her overwhelming popularity and the gross failure of the state government to win the state on a landslide and would never resort to violence as against the PDP led state government that orchestrated an attack on the candidate of the party during a campaign rally and is known to have armed thugs across the state to be used to disrupt the election and cause chaos.
“We are also aware of the plans by the state government to use the state marshal who are already parading in military camouflage as if they were military men.This is a desperate move by a government that has failed the people terribly and is trying to salvage his mandate through any means possible.”
Meanwhile violent attacks have continued to rise in the state occasioned by kidnapping and other acts of theft and mayhem.
