From Sunday Ani
A pressure group based in Sokoto State, Coalition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Groups, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and law enforcement agents to ensure that next Saturday’s governorship election in the state is devoid of avoidable challenges and electoral violence.
The group also commended the former Governor Aliyu Wammakko for ensuring that APC has wide acceptability across all the local governments areas in the state.
A statement by the group’s spokesman, Abdulrahaman Umar Aliyu, said: “We deemed it necessary to issue this statement in order to brief the world on the position of the Sokoto State APC, and how we will always comply with law and order in whatever circumstances.
“In Sokoto State, it is so strange that the failed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government is always on the offensive in almost all the APC controlled polling units during elections using thugs.
“The 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections were not an exception. They instigated chaos in almost all the strongholds of the APC.
“It’s clear that Sokoto is an APC state, because the good people of Sokoto State are solely behind former Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko.
“Wamakko as a leader of APC in the state, made the APC to remain an indefatigable and most widely accepted political party with larger number of supporters across the 23 local government areas of the state.
“From the foregoing, one can deduce that the deliberate violence in some polling units was deliberately orchestrated to disrupt elections in order to destroy votes belonging to APC by the PDP thugs, among which includes Polling Units in many wards across the state.
“By and large, Sokoto State is being ruled by a mediocre, whose interest is only to grab power by hook or crook.
“PDP in Sokoto is totally at a loss, looking at what happened at their meeting on March 2, 2023, at Kasarawa Conference Centre Sokoto, where they urged their supporters to see the election as a do or die affair.
“We advise the PDP to play politics with the rules. I know the law enforcement agencies are there for the masses, and will no doubt, do the needful.
“We appeal to law enforcement agencies to ensure a peaceful atmosphere for the electorate to exercise their rights on Election Day, and not allow hoodlums distabilise peaceful coexistence in our state.
“We are also calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to as a matter of fairness and justice, play the game equitably to all parties. As for the INEC adhoc staff, they should conduct themselves in line with the rules. They should not let unpatriotic leaders to ruin their reputation by bribing them to destroy the choice of the electorate. We are aware of the series of attempts to influence the outcome of the elections.
“Finally, we call on our teeming party faithful to come out and cast their votes as provided by the law. After casting your votes, protect your votes.”