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John Adams, Minna
Former governor of Niger State and Chairman People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Former Governors Forum, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has condemned in strong terms the unprovoked and senseless killing of the PDP’s Women Leader of Wada Aro Campaign Council in Kogi State, Salomi Acheju Abuh who was burnt to death in her house by sponsored armed political thugs.
Former Governor Aliyu, a former Chairman Northern Governors Forum, described as abhorable, the political violence which characterized the conducts of the governorship elections organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) in Kogi State last weekend and the pre-election violence in Bayelsa State.
According to Aliyu in a statement by his media aide, Mr. Bala Bitrus “as civilized citizens, we note with serious concern that the general conduct of the governorship elections in the two states, where innocent citizens were subjected to crude, brutal and naked use of force by pro establishment, security agents and paid agents of the state, had rubbished the essence of the elections and therefore we reject the outcomes of the two elections in their entirety”.
Former Governor Aliyu said it was dishearten to see innocent Nigerians being killed because of one person’s political ambition, adding that every human being must account for his deed here after.
“The sponsored violence orchestrated by armed persons who had free hand to unleash mayhem before, during and even immediately after the elections in the two states in the presence of law-enforcement agents including soldiers, the police and other security agencies, has further demonstrated that the powers that be at the centre were behind the sordid show of brutal force to subvert popular wishes of the electorate in the two states.”
He insisted that the conducts and outcomes of the elections in the two states were therefore not the reflections of free choice by the electorate nor were they in tandem with democratic traditions hence “we reject the results posted by INEC in all their ramifications.
“It is pertinent to say here that the subversion of the free will and wishes of citizens at elections and at any public fora amounts to, not only illegality but gross abuse of the fundamental principles of the rights of citizens to elect candidate(s) of their preferred choice to govern them.
“We in the PDP therefore insist that what transpired in the two states in the name of election were a sham and a far cry from anything fair. It is condemnable to say the least”.
For the soul of Salomi Acheju Abuh and of all those who were slain in Kogi and Bayelsa states in the course of last Saturday’s elections by the agents of the states, Aliyu said “we asked the Federal Government to not only condemn the wanton killings and destruction of properties but to empaneled well balanced committees to probe the dastardly acts and speedily bring those behind the arsons and fish out their sponsors for proper justice.”
