From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State has vowed to check any attempt by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to undertake any form of electoral malpractice during the forthcoming gubernatorial and state assembly elections.
Muhammad Garba, the spokesperson of the APC Campaign Organisation and Commissioner of Information in the state, made the assertion in a statement on Monday.
He said the APC was compelled to bring the plan to the attention of the public, “because this could disrupt the governorship and House of Assembly elections to its favour.”
He further stated that government has received credible information on how thugs will be hired from villages in Kano and beyond to upset the electoral process through violence, massive rigging, box snatching and arson.
Garba alleged that in 2019, the opposition managed a well-organized election rigging network, particularly in the metropolitan local governments, where youths, mostly without voter cards, were engaged to perpetrate the Irregular act.
He alleged that this time around, the NNPP was planning to use thugs to cause mayhem with a view to dispersing voters at polling units in order to have the opportunity to rig the elections and subvert the will of the people.
He held that an statement issued by the NNPP accusing the ruling party of plotting to undetmime the process was just ploy to play the victim card just as he assured that the APC would ensure that peace prevail in the state during the polls.
He called on relevant security agencies in the state to be alive to their responsibilities by fishing out any individual or group that is bent on fomenting trouble to deny people the right to exercise their franchise.