Bye-election: Kaduna PDP raises alarm over alleged abduction of Reps candidate, 25 others
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kaduna State Chapter, has decried what it called “egregious actions of the Nigerian Security forces at the behest of Governor Uba Sani”.
A statement issued by the State chairman of the party, Edward Percy Masha, alleged that “in a shocking display of desperation, Operation Fushin Kada – a joint security network under the Kaduna State Government – laid siege to the City Den Hotel in Malali, broke into a room in a bid to whisk away the Chairman of the PDP Campaign Council, Hussein Ahmed-Kero, and when they could not find him, they abducted the PDP candidate for the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency bye-election, Princess Esther Ashivelli Dawaki, and 25 others.”
The PDP condemned “this brazen act of harassment, intimidation, and insanity by the APC” and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of its candidate and all others being held hostage.
Masha also called on the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the Department of State Services, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Defence Staff, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to intervene and put an immediate end to the “egregious abuse of power”.
The party urged civil society organizations and all lovers of democracy to rise up against the “blatant attack” on democracy and constitution in Kaduna State.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP will not be intimidated or silenced.
“We, therefore, demand justice and the protection of our members’ rights and also urge the people to stand firm and resist any attempt to intimidate or harass them or tamper with the process or outcome of the elections across all the polling units in the respective constituencies where the elections will be held,” the statement explained.
The statement added, “The APC’s actions signal that the party is heading towards defeat, hence its resort to this show of force, akin to the last kick of a dying horse.
“We wish to state, however, that no amount of intimidation can save the APC from its rejection by the people, even as the PDP will continue to stand up for their rights and freedoms. We will continue to provide updates on this and other issues.”
However, the state Commissioner for Information, Ahmad Maiyaki, while speaking to DAILY POST on Saturday, denied the allegation made by the opposition party, saying there was already an alleged case of the PDP plotting vote-buying ahead of today’s bye-election.
In the same vein, a security source confirmed that a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agent, Shehu Fatange, was arrested with about N30 million allegedly earmarked for vote-buying ahead of Saturday’s bye-elections in Kaduna State.
Fatange was picked up on Friday evening at a hotel in the Kaduna metropolis, where he was said to be coordinating the distribution of the funds meant to influence voters in the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency election.
Reliable security sources confirmed that the suspect was caught in possession of cash running into tens of millions, allegedly intended to compromise the integrity of the polls.
The Kaduna State Police Command through its spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan also confirmed the arrest, saying that the suspect was in custody and under investigation.
He refused to give further details, noting that security agencies were working together to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
Both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the oppositions including PDP, ADC and SDP had in recent days traded allegations of vote-buying, thuggery and attempts to compromise electoral officials.
However, security operatives assured that investigations were ongoing, while urging the public to remain calm and turn out peacefully to exercise their franchise on Saturday.
