…Ask INEC to cancel poll
…As thugs burn ballot boxes, votes in Benue
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE (Abuja), Adeola Ajakaiye (Kano) and Benjamin Agesan (Makurdi)
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has distanced itself from the supplementary governorship election held in Kano yesterday, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the exercise.
The party accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of disruption of the exercise and bloodletting in the state.
A statement on Saturday by Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary, said: “Rampaging APC thugs violently took over polling units, attacked and chased away voters and engaged in massive thumb-printing and ballot stuffing for the APC”.
According to him, “INEC is already aware that the Police arrested the Kano State Commissioner for Special Duties, Muktar Yakasai alongside APC thugs he led to disrupt election in Yelwa in Dala Local Government Area of the state.
“Also INEC is already aware of how APC thugs attacked voters in polling units in Gama area of Kano State during which four PDP members were feared killed and many more injured before they carted away ballot boxes for stuffing for the APC.
“The PDP cautioned INEC to note that in this circumstance, any result they come out with from this convoluted electoral process will be a sham and will surely be rejected by the people of Kano State.
“It is completely reprehensible that the APC and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje would resort to violence and bloodletting as a means to attempt to hold on to power after they have been rejected by the people.
“The PDP invites Nigerians to note that our party grew democracy for 16 years without watering the quest for power with the blood of the innocent as the APC has done in the 2019 general election”.
The party therefore, urged the electoral body to save the nation from crisis by cancelling the election.
Earlier, owing to the disturbances in Gama and a few other areas where thugs allegedly prevented voting, the state chapter of the PDP said it had rejected the supplementary governorship election that held in 28 local government areas.
Chairman of PDP in the state, Rabiu Bichi, who addressed journalists Saturday in Kano, said the party rejects the election because it was characterised by violence and intimidation of voters.
Bichi said he had on Friday drawn attention of the Police command in the state, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of ferrying in armed thugs from neighbouring states.
“What is happening today (yesterday) is not election. Thugs have taken over most polling units and have been attacking our members and voters.
“Many have been injured; in fact, a member of the state Assembly representing Gwale, Yusuf Babangida on election duty was attacked and seriously injured.
“We also have reports of attack on our members in Doguwa, Gwale and Dala, we are collecting the whole list of those attacked,” he said.
The PDP chairman said the party would seek legal redress.
“We are going to pursue our right through legal means. Today is a sad day for Nigerian democracy, especially in Kano
“Recall that governorship elections were held on March 9 not just in Kano but Nigeria as a whole
“After the election, results from 43 out of 44 local governments were announced and we were leading, it was only the results from Nasarawa Local Government that were pending and that was because the state deputy governor, the commissioner for local government and chairman of Nasarawa Local Government led some thugs to attack the collation centre and disrupted the process by tearing the result sheet.
“That is why INEC called for this supplementary election. As you all know, the Nigerian constitution doesn’t know anything supplementary election; all I know is that we have won our election. What is happening in Kano today is simply foolishness,” he said.
In a separate interview with journalists at his residence, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a former governor and leader of the PDP in Kano State, also called on INEC to cancel the exercise.
Kwankwaso said that the call was based on “reports reaching his party which indicates that hundreds of armed thugs were alleged to have been brought into the state by the APC, preventing pro-PDP voters from participating in the election in all the affected LGAs where the re-election were being conducted.
The former governor also accused the security agents of conniving with the ruling party to manipulate the election and its outcome. He threatened that his party would have no option than to challenge the conduct of the election in court if INEC upheld it.
Meanwhile, armed thugs yesterday set ablaze election results in Zendesha council Ward of Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
The thugs, who were shooting sporadically in the air at the collation centre before getting access to the results, hijacked the ballot boxes and set the results on fire. The thugs were said to be sponsored by opposition parties in the state.
BDSUNDAY gathered that the result of the gubernatorial and state Assembly re-run in Ukum Local Government favoured candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
It was alleged that the state Assembly candidate of the social Democratic Party (SDP), Benjamin Ashaver, was the brain behind the action.
