PDP raises the alarm over safety of sensitive materials

Bauchi governor manipulating security to destabilise elections, candidate alleges
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure the safety of sensitive materials earlier distributed to states before the elections were postponed. South West Publicity Secretary of the party, Ayo Fadaka, stated this in Akure yesterday in a statement, while criticising INEC for what he described as its poor preparation.

He described the last minute postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections as an irresponsible act, dereliction of duty and a betrayal of the confidence Nigerians reposed in the commission.

“This development, however, made a lie of INEC’s grandstanding and pointedly confirms its unpreparedness to conduct a nationwide election, an intention consistent with the desires of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which if executed, would have immediately created a political crisis in the country.

“It is important to state that INEC’s conduct since the President Muhammadu Buhari years has been anything but satisfactory, as it has always been shoddy in its preparations and execution of bye-elections and isolated gubernatorial polls,” he stated.

However, PDP gubernatorial candidate in Bauchi State, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has accused Governor Mohammad Abdullahi Abubakar of manipulating security agencies to destabilise elections in the state.He also alleged that the governor was wooing traditional rulers to gain the people’s support, adding: “We will not fold our hands and watch the government destroy the fabric of our society.”

Bala, who spoke during a media briefing at the weekend, said the government is planning to deploy mobile policemen to all PDP strongholds in the state to scare people from coming out and vote.

“This is unacceptable as it contravenes the rules and regulations of engaging security agencies for elections. “We have reliable information that the state government, in collaboration with some security agencies, is planning to destabilise the election through acts detrimental to the success of the elections,” he added.