The All Progressive Congress, APC in Zamfara state has denied all allegations levelled agains it by the Ruling People’s Democratic Party on the just concluded Kaura Namoda South Constituency By-election held over the weekend.
The APC says the press conference held by the Zamfara PDP is an attempt to cover up its defeat in the election instead of accepting the will of the people.
At a press Conference in Gusau, the Spokesperson Yusuf Idris accuses the PDP fabricating lies against security agencies including the the Nigerian military.
The APC described the action as baseless and fabricated aimed to smear the image of Security agencies.
The APC’s claim is in response to the press conference held by the Peoples Democrstic Party on Sunday.
“This press briefing resulting from the last Saturday’s State House of Assembly bye election to fill in a vacant for Kaura Namoda South constituency which would not have been possible if we had not preempted the dangerous plans hatched by the ruling PDP in the state to use trigger happy thugs against innocent individuals while exercising their civic rights” The APC Said.
“The All Progressives Congress APC Zamfara State has however come across a press conference text written by the Zamfara PDP chapter in a desperate attempt to cover up their defeat in the Kaura Namoda South bye-election instead of accepting the will of the people, the PDP has resorted to fabricating lies against security agencies, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and even the Nigerian military” Yusuf Said.
“In their deceitful text, they alleged that the military was “deployed to intimidate voters” which is baseless and fabricated lies just to smear the image of our Security personnel who were stationed at polling units to prevent all kinds of election malpractice such as ballot snatching and destruction of election materials through violence especially as planned by the PDP which is notoriously known for in Zamfara elections” He added.
The claim that the army were “inside polling centres” lacks proof and is a deliberate distortion of the reality, that’s according to the APC noting that it also attempted to drag the Nigerian military into partisan politics, which it says is reckless and dangerous.
“The Nigerian military have sacrificed their lives daily to protect communities from bandits. For PDP to compare the fight against banditry with election security is irresponsible, callous, and an insult to our gallant troops who risk their lives for Nigeria’s unity”
“The PDP text has exposed their inability to accept defeat and are now looking for excuses having been defeated at the poll” The APC Maintained
“What we expected from them are evidences to prove their claims just as we have in our possession, videos and still pictures, they should present these including those they said were beaten before the INEC or the election petition tribunal instead of issuing emotional statements to mislead the public”.
The APC Spokesperson however notes that the party remains the choice of the people in the state
“The APC adds that the naive narrative that “APC has lost support in Zamfara and beyond” collapsed when compared with reality”.
“The people of Kaura Namoda South came out enmass and voted APC while rejecting the PDP is enough proof that Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration is already losing touch with the people”.
“PDP should be reminded that democracy is about the ballot, not propaganda. Instead of crying wolf and attacking institutions, they should focus on delivering good governance in Zamfara. The people have spoken through their votes and will do the same again in future elections, which comes in 2027, and no amount of press conferences can change the outcome of the election” The APC Insist.
Yusuf Idris accuses the People’s Democratic Party of attempt the state own security outfit, the Community Protection Guards during the election.
“AlhamduLillah, the security agencies in the state have taken proactive measures against the sinister move of the Zamfara State PDP to use the CPG (Askarawa), and CJTF to destroy the bye-election as they feared APC will beat them hands down” The APC Alledges.
“Despite the security announcement on the ban on CPG and CJTF on election duty the government ignored and deployed them in large numbers and stationed them in all the six wards armed with sophisticated weapons just to rig the election in their favour but our gallant security agencies prevented them, making the ridiculous PDP seek public sympathy now”.
“We are still urging the police to investigate the source of firearms given to the thugs ahead of last Saturday’s election in the state” The APC Insist.
“Even members of the CPG who sacrifice their lives daily in the protection of lives and properties of the common man in the state are not taken care of by the government that has consistently refused to take care of the families of those who died in the line of duty, instead, the government is now sending them on election field to kill innocent souls in order to manipulate votes”.
“When PDP and its destructive agents noticed that the election outcome from some polling units were not in their favour, they started executing their earlier evil machination to destroy the election that was going peacefully in many polling units and the security on election duty resisted”.
“Gentlemen of the press, most of you were with us when PDP thugs were led by two local government chairmen at Polling Units 013 and Polling unit 002 at Kasuwa Daji and destroyed the election materials breaking the ballot box, tearing all the ballot papers and carting away VBas machine, we have the video clips and still pictures at our disposal”.
“Likewise the PDP Chairman led some thugs at Sakajiki in order to disrupt the election but the security agents at that collation centre denied him access and later turned him back, this video has also gone viral on the social media”.
They accused the Zamfara PDP chairman of leading political thugs to Disrupt the election.
“The same PDP chairman led thugs to disrupt elections in the Tukasu Polling unit where INEC officials were beaten and all the election material was destroyed”.
“The APC is surprised that the PDP has the audacity to show their arrogant faces before the world and say the election was manipulated, having failed and officially denied the use of state machinery to rig the election”.
“Prior to the election, we also saw a member of the national assembly on the campaign at Zorori River calling on the PDP members to kill APC members. The video is still trending. Which is inhuman and barbaric”.
“Gentlemen, you may recall that the APC appealed to conventional security agencies in the state through your media in addition to formal complains to the security not to allow the state government use members of the askarawa, PDP thugs and vagabonds during the election which severely affected their crooked plans”.
“They quickly changed gear by using the ADC and CSO to the governor to lead teams in destroying election materials and chasing away innocent electorates”.
The video clips of these claims are there to buttress what we are saying as against the flimsy excuse shamefully presented by their state Chairman.
The party also called on its members to be calm and continue to respect constituted authorities noting that it will Continue to be law abiding and defender of democratic values at all times.
“We commend all organs of conventional security in the state for denying the thugs the chance to scuttle the exercise and we encourage them to remain resolute in all future elections as it is only by doing so can we have credible election”.
“We call on the security agencies to sustain the tempo, which has now built more confidence in the minds of many citizens”.
