Gubernatorial Election: PDP Restrategizes to Ensure Victory in Sokoto State
Ismail Umar, Sokoto.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Sokoto state chapter, has restrategized to resist any attempt to rig it out of future elections, beginning with the National Assembly supplementary elections and next week’s governorship election.
The PDP State Chairman Bello Goronyo stated this at the party stakeholders’ meeting held at the International Conference Centre, Kasarawa, Sokoto state.
Goronyo said that the PDP had thoroughly reviewed all infractions and vowed to never again allow the use of foul means to usurp power as it was done in the past.
He lamented the action of security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police which, according to him, allowed themselves to be used for other irregularities during the election.
In his remarks, the Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal urged the security agencies to be professional, stressing any further attempt to intimidate the people in the forthcoming elections would be resisted.
“All of you know what happened last Saturday: we were winning overwhelmingly when the APC thugs invaded the polling units at the watch of security agencies.
“These thugs rendered most of the election in many polling units inconclusive.
“Therefore, the PDP has resolved that in as much as it remains a law-abiding political party, conducting its affairs strictly within the ambit of our nation’s electoral laws, the party will henceforth resist rigging.
“We will henceforth directly and physically confront and resist the election riggers from always having a field day by truncating our nascent democracy.
“Consequently, the PDP directs all its agents, its officials to be vigilant in all polling units to avoid the repeat of what happened last Saturday,” he stressed.
He called on President Muhammad Buhari to caution erring security officials and to always be apolitical while discharging their elections duty.
“Our insistence as a party is for a level playing ground, a free, fair and credible electoral process, where all votes will count just as our party provided for Buhari in 2015 that enabled him to be elected as President.
“However, we will not accept our respect for democratic tenets to be taken as a mark of cowardice or weakness,” he added.
Governor Tambuwal, however, said the stakeholders’ meeting was a wake-up call to all lovers of democracy in Sokoto state to rise in this spirit to safeguard the nation’s democracy from all anti-democratic and oppressive forces.
The stakeholders’ meeting was attended by Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; his deputy, Alhaji Muhammad Manir Dan’iya; the PDP deputy governorship candidate, Sagir Bafarawa; Former Deputy Governor Mukhtar Shagari; Party State Chairman Alhaji Aliyu Bello Goronyo; the State Campaign Director-General Yusuf Suleiman; and National and State Assembly members from the party, among others.
Edited by Amaka E. Nliam
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