Musa Na Allah Sokoto
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Sokoto State Chapter has accused the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) of unprecedented misuse of security to arrest, harass and intimidate its party supporters in the state.
The Chairman of the PDP in the state, Honorable Muhammad Bello Aliyu Goronyo disclosed this while briefing newsmen at a Press Conference held Tuesday at NUJ Secretariat in Sokoto.
Goronyo noted that available data confirmed that the turnout of voters in the last election was over 900,000 which contrasted with the Presidential and National Assembly elections which stands at about 600,000.
He noted that the PDP is not unmindful of the ordeal that, its teaming members are being subjected to intimidation and Harassment by the leadership of the APC in Sokoto.
According to him, the situation was plotted deliberately by the appointment of the Minister of Police
Affairs Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi is the Director General of the Sokoto APC Gubernatorial Campaign Council.
“We have witnessed unprecedented misuse of security to arrest, harass and intimidate our members towards undermining their freedom to exercise their franchise of voting for their preferred Party”.
He stated that PDP as a law-abiding Party with the longest history of governance in Nigeria also commended its teaming supporters in Sokoto state for their sustained commitment and resilience which manifested in their mass trooping out to vote for the party in the just concluded governorship and state assembly elections.
He assured that the Party is collating and studying reports from all the local government areas in the state on the 18th March Gubernatorial and state Assembly Elections with a view to taking the next line of action.
“We are in possession of a disturbing violation of the Electoral Act and appropriate measures will be taken to address the anomaly to ensure that the right of the voters is upheld.
“The wanton killings, maiming, and destruction of public properties in the State, since the announcement of the result necessitated the much anticipated political violence which characterized by APC antecedents has reached alarming proportion across all the Local Government Areas in the state.
“We are indeed constrained to put on record the dastardly act of killings that occurred in some part of the state”, he added.
Goronyo confirmed that 3 innocent citizens PDP supporters were killed in Shagari by close associates of the leader of the party (APC) in the state.
This is in addition to the killing of a son to a PDP stalwart Late Armiya’u Mada in the Tudun Wada area in the state metropolis as well as a businesswoman in Katami who was purportedly robbed of over 300 bags of grains.
He further said the list of those who suffer harassment; intimidation and loss of property in different parts of the state are disturbingly alarming.
“Instead of arresting and arraigning the perpetrators to face justice security is busy focusing attention on PDP supporters based on prompting by the APC leadership in the state.
“We, therefore, assure all PDP supporters and law-abiding citizens in the state that these callous acts are being followed to ensure justice for the victims,” Goronyo stated.
