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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara State, has raised an alarm over alleged plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disrupt the State Assembly bye-election for Bakura constituency slated for Saturday 5, December.
A statement issued by Alhaji Tukur Umar Danfulani, the state chairman of the party on Wednesday, accused the opposition APC of a grand plan to create chaos using thugs during the election.
The chairman noted that the tell-tale signs by the opposition to cause mayhem during the exercise manifested two days ago when a faction of the party allegedly distroyed the PDP’s stand where key stakeholders including Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle were scheduled to address party supporters.
“Ahead of the Saturday 5, December, Bakura State House of Assembly bye-election, the APC having lost hope in the outcome of the election have hatched plans to disrupt the exercise even as the state provided level playing ground to all participating political parties.
“Just two days to the bye election, it was discovered that the APC candidate to the election, Bello Dankande Gamji led a group of over 200 APC political thugs and destroyed the grand stand where PDP chieftains including the state governor, Hon. Dr. Bello Mohammed MON Matawallen Maradun was scheduled to address party supporters and formally close the PDP’s campaigns in Bakura.
“The thugs who also carried guns to scare away all PDP sympathizers in the area as well as threaten the smooth conduct of the bye election have shot and wounded two of the PDP supporters who attempted to stop them.
‘The irate thugs also attacked and disloged all security personnel who were already in the area to ensure that peace existed before, during and after the election but which the APC leaders and their supporters did want to see happen.
“These acts are similar to what the APC did during the 2019 general elections in the state that led to the party’s total failure.
“The destructive APC thugs did not stop there but went to the nearby Dakko ward, attacked the village head, Alhaji Salmanu Muhammad destroyed two of his vehicles, a Kia and an Avensus, a Volkswagen Golf belonging to the PDP and a bakery house which they burnt down,” he alleged.
He said as law abiding citizens and party, the PDP and its supporters, “we want to draw the attention of Mr. President to know what is happening in Zamfara ahead of the state assembly bye election in Bakura local government area particularly on the use of arms by members of the APC with support from their leaders at a time when the state government under PDP rule is trying to entrench peace in the state which had suffered from severe bandits attack under immediate past governor Abdulaziz Yari leadership in the state.
“We also want to call on all security agencies in the state in the presence of who we gathered on Thursday, 26/11/2020 to sign a peace accord to guarantee the conduct of a peaceful election, to quickly look into this report and arrest the perpetrators of these attacks.”
He called on party supporters to continue to be law abiding and remain calm “while we await the security agents to do their job on the matter.”
