Lukman Abdulmalik
Kano State Chapter of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) had called on security agencies in the state to checkmate the plans of disrupting the forthcoming Gubernatorial Election.
The NNPP however accuses the APC government of hiring thugs and bandits to disrupt the peace of the forthcoming elections.
Dr. Baffa Bichi, the NNPP candidate for Kano North senatorial seat who lost his bid in the just concluded 25 February election revealed that: “We are aware that thousands of bandits from Chad and Niger republics as well as from Katsina and Kaduna states have been hired and brought into Kano state by the Gandujiya Administration to be used to disrupt the elections.
“The Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigerian Police are aware of this. These bandits, brandishing heavy weapons including guns and machetes, are already in different locations across the 44 local government areas.”
“It is also worthy of note to inform you that Mr. Ganduje has granted pardon to a number of convicted murderers who were sentenced to death by competent courts of law.
“Only late last year he commuted the death sentences of these murderers to life imprisonment and last week he granted pardon to all of them. A typical example is the notorious Mohammed Abbas with prison number K/35C/2008 who was serving his sentence at MSCC Minna New.”
At the press briefing, NNPP also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the delay of sensitive materials, noting that “Delaying the election process in whatever way possible, deliberately disrupt the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine and making accreditation impossible in targeted polling units.
“Destroying results sheets in Polling Units that the ruling party is losing, ensuring that used ballots are smuggled into the boxes to ensure over-voting and cancellation in all our strongholds and ensuring that no result is posted to the iReV server by any presiding officer.”
Bichi also called the attention that the sum of N20,000.00 is being transferred to the accounts of many Adhoc staff allegedly from the Kano state government.
Other allegations include; Plans to disrupt collation centers, compromising with law enforcement agencies, massive vote buying and voter intimidation, selective arrest and intimidation of NNPP leaders, and dragging/dropping the names of the president, members of his family, and his aides.
Bichi wrapped up that “In Kano state, we will never again allow the peoples’ mandate to be stolen; they have stolen it in 2019. We restrained our supporters and stopped them from taking to the streets to protest.
“This time around it will be very difficult to restrain our supporters, again. We dare say that any law enforcement agent and any INEC staff, ad hoc or not, that will do their work patriotically and professionally without compromising or colluding with Gandujiyya to subvert the people’s mandate is surely a blessing to the good people of Kano state.
“We make haste to add that anybody that is coming to Kano state to cause mischief and attempt to tamper with election results will be on their own.
“The Kano NNPP is fully ready. We must, and we will protect the mandate of the people at all costs.”
