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From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State has rejected the intimidation of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, and other top security officers by the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP), which had resulted in the deployment of a number of police commissioners in and out of the state in the recent times.
The party’s position followed a fresh protest by the opposition against the purported deployment of Balarabe Sule as the Commissioner of Police in the state.
The APC lamented that the NNPP had used similar threats of violence and grandstanding to push for the deployment of commissioners of police friendly to them to the state.
In a press conference attended by top chieftains of the party in the state on Tuesday night, the party Chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, accused the state NNPP of habitually playing the victim when in the real sense, they are the villains threatening and terrorizing the state.
He lamented that while their supporters were being arrested by the police over spurious charges, numerous cases of attacks; murder and arson perpetuated by the NNPP had gone un-investigated despite their petitions to the police.
He observed that the current composition of the leadership of the Command was to their disadvantage, adding that the State Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operation) and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (CID) were all relatives of top NNPP members in the state.
He feared that this could have been responsible for the failure of the police to investigate their several petitions against the opposition party.
Abbas, represented Engineer Rabiu Sulieman Bichi, also cited the case of the procession held for the leader of the NNPP, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwakwaso to buttress the alleged bias against them.
He recalled that on January 6, they had applied to hold their grand rally on Polo ground in the state, only to be invited on the 22nd of February and told that four political parties had applied to hold their rallies on the same date.
He said that despite their prayers that the case be treated on a first-to-apply basis, the police refused and ordered all the parties to suspend their rallies.
“We were surprised that the same police that directed all the rallies to be cancelled on February 23 allowed the NNPP to initiate its rally at Knanar Dangora, a border town with Kaduna State,” he said adding that during the procession, the opposition vandalized their campaign office and caused bodily harm to several people.
He also noted that during the rally, “People were openly brandishing guns and shooting in the air and yet the police did nothing “
On the recent allegation that the APC had imported thugs from neighbouring countries ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, the APC insisted on the interrogation of the spokesperson of the NNPP, Dr Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, to show where the hired thugs were being camped.
“We specifically demand that Dr Abdullahi Baffa Bichi and others including the traditional rulers who also made similar claims be invited to explain how they came about the information’ he stated.
He warned that unlike during the Presidential and National Assembly elections, they will not fold their arms and watch the NNPP harm and harass their supporters from peacefully exercising their civic responsibilities during Saturday’s election.
