The Kaduna State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has raised alarm over what it described as the “egregious actions” of security agencies, allegedly acting under the orders of Governor Uba Sani, ahead of the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency bye-election.
In a statement released by the state party chairman, Edward Percy Masha, the PDP alleged that operatives of Operation Fushin Kada — a joint security task force under the state government — stormed the City Den Hotel in Malali in an attempt to arrest the Chairman of the PDP Campaign Council, Hussein Ahmed-Kero.
According to the party, when security agents failed to locate him, they allegedly abducted the PDP candidate, Princess Esther Ashivelli Dawaki, along with 25 others.
The PDP described the operation as “a brazen act of harassment, intimidation, and insanity by the APC” and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained.
Masha appealed to top national security and government officials, including the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the Department of State Services, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Defence Staff, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to step in and halt what he termed “an egregious abuse of power.”
The party also urged civil society organizations and pro-democracy advocates to resist what it called a direct attack on democracy and constitutional rights in Kaduna State.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP will not be intimidated or silenced,” the statement declared.
“We, therefore, demand justice and the protection of our members’ rights and also urge the people to stand firm and resist any attempt to intimidate or harass them or tamper with the process or outcome of the elections across all the polling units in the respective constituencies where the elections will be held,” it added.
Commenting further, the PDP stated, “The APC’s actions signal that the party is heading towards defeat, hence its resort to this show of force, akin to the last kick of a dying horse. We wish to state, however, that no amount of intimidation can save the APC from its rejection by the people, even as the PDP will continue to stand up for their rights and freedoms. We will continue to provide updates on this and other issues.”
In response to the allegations, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Information, Ahmad Maiyaki, denied any wrongdoing by security forces.
In a chat with the press on Saturday, he claimed the opposition party had already been implicated in plans to engage in vote-buying ahead of the bye-election.
Similarly, a security source confirmed that a PDP agent, identified as Shehu Fatange, was arrested with approximately N30 million allegedly intended for vote-buying.
Fatange was reportedly apprehended on Friday evening at a hotel in Kaduna metropolis, where he was said to be coordinating the distribution of the funds to influence voters in the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency.
