By Saka Laaro, Ilorin
Ahead of the 2023 gubernatorial and House of Assembly (HoA) elections on Saturday, March 18, the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kwara State, Alhaji Shuaibu Yaman has called on the security agencies and the electorates to be more conscious alleging that the ruling All Progressive Party (APC), in the State may be orchestrating violence across the State.
He said, “The warning becomes necessary as the APC already attempted to test-run its violence masterplan in Shonga Emirate on Monday when it imported some suspected hoodlums from the neighbouring Niger State under the guise of organising political rallies and door-to-door campaign in the Emirate.”
According to a statement in Ilorin, on Wednesday by the Special Adviser, Media and Strategy to the candidate, Abdulwahab Oba, “The suspected hoodlums who were initially thought to be theatre art practitioners were seen openly carrying arms while singing war songs to frighten the people and warn them of possible violence during the elections.
“Sources close to the gubernatorial candidate reveal that the so-called theatre art practitioners may have been brought to acclimatise with the community as a prelude to disrupting the elections in areas suspected to be strongholds of Alh Shuaibu Yaman who hails from Shonga.”
He said the fear of Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq losing election as a result of the recent gale of defection from his party and unanimity of various political forces in the State to vote for Alhaji Yaman, may be planning violence across the State, especially in areas where it is obvious that he may lose the election.
“AbdulRahman may have brought hoodlums into the Dtate to disrupt the elections,” he alleged.
While praising various security agencies for being highly professional in the previous elections, Yaman advised the electorates to stay behind after voting and counting to ensure that results are electrically transmitted.
The gubernatorial candidate also admonished party agents to collect certified copies of the results before leaving the polling units.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP remains committed to free, fair and credible elections but resolute in resisting, within the precinct of legitimacy, any manipulation of the process as being planned by the APC in sync with some underhand stakeholders,” the statement warned.