Kwara guber: PDP candidate alerts security agents, vows to resist electoral violence
Gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for Kwara State, Shuaib Yaman Abdullahi, has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress may orchestrate violence in Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.
He has, therefore, warned the electorate and security agencies in the state to be conscious of the possibility of electoral violence.
A statement in Ilorin on Wednesday by his spokesman, Abdulwahab Oba, said he “remains committed to free, fair and credible elections, but will resolutely resist within the precinct of legitimacy any attempt to manipulate the process as being planned by the APC in synchronization with underhand stakeholders.”
According to the PDP governorship flag bearer who hails from Shonga, Edu Local Government of the state, “this warning becomes necessary as the APC already attempted to test-run its violence masterplan in Shonga Emirate on Monday when it imported some suspected hoodlums from the neighbouring Niger State under the guise of organising political rallies and door-to-door campaign in the Emirate.
“The suspected hoodlums who were initially thought to be theatre art practitioners were seen openly carrying arms while singing war songs to frighten the people and warn them of possible violence during the elections,” he added.
According to the statement, “sources close to the gubernatorial candidate revealed that the so-called theatre art practitioners may have been brought to acclimatise with the community as a prelude to disrupting the elections in areas suspected to be strongholds of Alhaji Shuaibu Yaman who hails from Shonga.”
While praising various security agencies for being highly professional in the previous elections, Alhaji Yaman advised the electorates to stay behind after voting and counting to ensure that results are electronically transmitted.
The gubernatorial candidate also admonished party agents to collect certified copies of the results before leaving the polling units.
The ruling APC campaign council, had earlier warned the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to be vigilant in its use of various electronic platforms alleging that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state, had perfected plans to hack into its portals to manipulate the process of the election to its advantage.
“This is what the PDP is now banking on to re-impose an expired political dynasty on the state after its total rejection by the people of Kwara state.
“We therefore call for absolute vigilance,” the APC campaign council added.
