Olakunle Maruf, Sokoto
Barely one week to the 2023 governorship and house of assembly elections across the country, the All Progressive Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in Sokoto State have accused each other of plotting with security agencies to scuttle the electoral process in the state.
The APC, in a press conference addressed by its chairman, accused the PDP in state of conniving with security agencies during the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly election in the deployment of armed men to the polling units as well as young men with dangerous weapons to attack voters and voting agents.
The chairman of the party, Isa Sadiq Acida, while addressing newsmen at the party secretariat in the state, further alleged that it was the same people sent out of the PDP by the Governor Aminu Tambuwal-led administration that have turned out to play a significant role in its downfall.
The party, however, called on INEC to investigate the actions of some of its ad-hoc and permanent staff, “which we believe connived with the PDP in the last election, to deliberately delay the arrival of voting materials to the polling units and place artificial clogs to the voting process, in areas where the APC has large followers.
“We also urge the security agencies to investigate incidences of deliberate destruction of ballot boxes, find out who destroyed the boxes, who their sponsors are and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book”
The party, however, vow not to tolerate a repeat performance in the Governorship and State Assembly elections, calling for abiding by the principle of one man, one vote, one woman one vote in the coming elections across the state.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, on it’s own has called on it’s members across the state to ensure their votes is protected against rigging or manipulation henceforth.
PDP made the vow at a stakeholders meeting held at International conference Centre Kasarawa , Sokoto on ahead of the forthcoming governorship and House of assembly elections in the state.
The stakeholders meeting which was attended by the leaders of the party in the state, including Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, his Deputy, Muhammad Manir Dan’iya, the campaign DG, Former Ministers among many others.
They said that the PDP had thoroughly reviewed all infractions noticed during the presidential election and vowed to never again allow the use of foul means to usurp power as it was done in the past .
The party leaders berated the action of security agencies especially the Nigerian police which they said allowed themselves to be used by the campaign DG of the APC in the state, who is also the minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi .
Speaking further , the state Governor Aminu Tambuwal urged the security agencies to be professional stressing that any further attempt to intimidate the people in the forth coming elections would be resisted .
“All of you know what happened last Saturday we were winning overwhelmingly when the APC thugs invaded the polling units at the watch of security agencies” he stated.
“These thugs rendered most of the election in many polling units inconclusive.
” Our party, the PDP, therefore, resolves that in as much as it remains a law-abiding political party, conducting its affairs strictly within the ambit of our nation’s electoral laws; the party will henceforth resist rigging.
“We will henceforth directly and physically confront and resist the election riggers from always having a field day by truncating our nascent democracy.
“Consequently, the PDP directs all its agents , its officials to be vigilant in all polling units to avoid the repeat of what happened last Saturday ,
He called on president Muhammad Buhari to caution erring security officials .
“Our insistence as a party is for a level playing ground, a free, fair and credible electoral process, where all votes will count just as our party provided for General Buhari in 2015, that enabled him to be elected as president.
“However, we will not accept our respect for democratic tenets to be taken as a mark of cowardice or weakness.’’
