Taraba NNPP raises alarm over alleged plans to destabilize Saturday’s polls
By Suru Charles
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been accused of planning to use fake soldiers and policemen to disrupt the governorship and state House of Assembly slated for the 18th of this month.
The accusation is coming barely two days after the All Progressive Congress (APC) raised an alarm on an alleged plan by the PDP to collaborate with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to scuttle the exercise in the state.
Raising the alarm yesterday at a press briefing which took place in Jalingo, the Director Media and Communication, NNPP Gubernatorial Campaign Council, Engineer Zakari Nguroje, said the attention of Campaign Council in Taraba has been drawn by motives of some disgruntled elements who are bent to use government machinery to cause chaos in the forthcoming governorship and Houses of Assembly elections in Taraba.
He said the council is “fully aware of their motives to use fake military and police personnel in achieving their nefarious activities.
“This act has been done by recruiting political thugs as security officers handling events at the polling units or using state-owned security apparatus popularly known as marshall to cause mayhem during the election process.”
Another tactic which the council alleged may as well be used in disrupting the exercise “is to use money to lure electorate and election officials. We reliably gathered that a large amount of money has been earmarked for each of the over one hundred and six polling units in the state.
“All these are the hand-work of the outgoing ruling party in the state, (PDP), in their desperate attempt to retain power and manipulate the election.”
The party which failed to pay salaries of workers promptly refused to pay pensions and gratuity to retirees and was unable to provide needed infrastructural development in the state is making the electoral process a do a die affair in order to maintain leadership.
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The group also drew the attention of the public to an ongoing “calculated plan to destroy Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)” said PDP planned to achieve this “with the help of some technical staff of the Independent Electoral Commission INEC.”
Adding that “there is also a plan to attack BVAS and destroy them disenfranchised citizens who are so eager to cast their votes. Especially in strongholds of Prof. Muhammad Sani Yahaya” the NNPP gubernatorial candidate.
While appealing to “those at the helm of affairs – military, police and other security agencies to as a matter of urgency look into these issues to avert looming political crises”
NNPP said, has as well uncovered a plan by the PDP to use fake security apparatus in imposing curfew and compel the state returning officer to announce results under duress because all they need is to announce the results because they are ready to manipulate the judicial process.”
In a swift reaction, the PDP spokesman, Andeta’rang Irammae, urged the opposition parties to desist from “cheap blackmail”
He stated that “PDP has never been associated with rigging elections and will never indulge in such an act.
“We are not planning to rig, the media need to sensitize the public on the need to avoid anything that will truncate this democracy”.
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