Taraba Govt, PDP planning to rig March 18th polls – NNPP
By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
Taraba state Chapter of New Nigeria Peoples Party, on Wednesday raised the alarm that the state government through the Peoples Democratic Party, have perfected plans to rig the upcoming governorship and state houses of assembly election in the state.
Engineer Zakari Ahmad Nguroje, Director Media and Communication, NNPP Gubernatorial Campaign Council, while addressing journalists in Jalingo, alleged that Taraba state government through the PDP have perfected plans to use fake security apparatus (Taraba Marshall), and INEC staff to rig the upcoming exercise haven’t lost in the last election that was under free and fair atmosphere.
The NNPP also alleged that there is also a calculated plan to destroy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, with the help of some technical staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, that BVAS would be attack and destroy to disenfranchised citizens who are so eager to cast their votes especially in strong holds of Professor Muhammad Sani Yahaya, the NNPP gubernatorial candidate.
“Our attention has been drawn to the motives of some disgruntled elements who are bent to use government machineries to cause chaos in the forthcoming governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections in Taraba State.
“We are fully aware of their motives to use fake military and police personnel in achieving their criminal act. They have recruited political thugs alongside the state owned security apparatus (Taraba Marshall) who will collaborate with the security officers handling events at the poling units to cause mayhem and achieve their target.
“The government and PDP also want to use money to lure electorate and election officials. We reliability gathered that a large amount of money have been earmarked for each of the over one thousand poling unit in the state.
“They have also plan to destroy Bimodal Voter Accreditation System. They want to use some technical staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, to attack and destroy BVAS so as to disenfranchised citizens who are so eager to cast their votes especially in strong holds of Prof. Muhammad Sani Yahaya, the NNPP gubernatorial candidate.
“It is also in the public domain that the office of the Special Adviser to governor Darius Ishaku on Security Matters has been instructed to use the Taraba State Marshall and raise tension that will lead to imposition of “curfew” in Jalingo the state capital a day to the election.
“All these are the handiwork of the outgoing governor Darius Ishaku, and PDP in their desperate attempt to retain power by manipulating the election. The party which failed to pay salaries of workers promptly, refused to pay pension and gratuity to retirees and was unable to provide the needed infrastructural development in the state is planning to make the electoral process a do a die affair in order to maintain leadership.
“There is a plan to use fake security apparatus to impose curfew and compel the state returning officer to announce results under duress because, all they need is for the result to be announce in their favour as they are ready to manipulate the judicial process.
“We are appealing to president Muhammadu Buhari, the military, police and other security agencies to as a matter of urgency look into the issues to avert the looming political crises,” Nguroje alleged.
Our correspondent reports that Taraba state Chapter of the All Progressives Congress APC through a chieftain who is a former ambassador to the republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Alhaji Hassan Ardo Jika, accused the PDP of planning to use all possible means to rig the upcoming governorship and state houses of assembly election in the state.
The former ambassador also called on president Muhammadu Buhari to deploy extra security personnels to the state to save the APC from the PDP rigging arrangements.
