BEVERLY HILLS, CA, January 06, (THEWILL) – A group, calling itself the Coalition of Political Parties in Yobe State, on Monday faulted the claims of the State Government on the recently-held Local Government elections in the state.
The group is made up of eight opposition political parties in the state, namely the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Labour Party (LP), Nigeria Peoples Congress (NPC), Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Peoples Mandate Party (PMP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The group alleged that the council poll was nothing more than a farce and a ploy by the Ibrahim Gaidam-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Government to hoodwink everyone that all is well in the state.
It has therefore called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),Professor Attahiru Jega; Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar; and the National Security Adviser to verify what it called the so-called Local Government elections in the state.
A statement signed by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the group, Adamu Muhammed Babangida, called on all relevant agencies to conduct an inquiry into the election, maintaining that it is a known fact that no election can be held in places under state of emergency.
Babangida expressed disappointment over what he described as the insincerity of the Gaidam Administration, saying the Yobe State Government lied in some national newspapers and broadcast media that 10 political parties participated in the elections.
“No such election ever took place in Yobe State and any sensible person can attest to the fact that, where there exist a state of emergency declared because of insecurity, no politicking or voting process will take place unless and if the state of emergency lifted,” he said.
He said the state government has “deliberately violated the state of emergency with the sole aim of undermining the national security and discrediting Mr. President, National Assembly and the security agents of the country.”
According to him, what was witnessed in Yobe state during the ‘so-called council polls ” is a process through which the state government “through its agents sat down, stuffed ballot papers, wrote and declared the so-called Local Government electoral results. ”
He added: “None of us either purchased or filled nomination forms nor return same to any agent of the electoral commission. It is in line with the lies against us and deliberate attempt at tarnishing our good names and images, we hereby disassociate ourselves from these publications. ”
Maintaining that the eight political parties were never part of the election into the 17 Local Government Areas of the state, he demanded an apology to be published within 72 hours in the same national dailies and electronic media, in which the state government claimed they were part of the election, threatening to drag the government to court if it fails.
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