Gov Ishaku, PDP plans to rig March 18th polls, Taraba NNPP

Engr. Zakari Ahmad Nguroje, Director Media and Communication, NNPP Gubernatorial Campaign Council, while addressing journalists in Jalingo, alleged that the Taraba state government through the PDP have perfected plans to use the state 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 (BVAS), with the help of some technical staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, that BVAS would attack and destroy disenfranchised citizens who are so eager to cast their votes, especially in strongholds of Prof. 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 machinery 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 polling units to cause mayhem and achieve their target.

“The government and PDP also want to use the money to lure electorate and election officials. We reliability gathered that a large amount of money has been earmarked for each of the over one thousand polling units in the state.

“They have also planned to destroy Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). They want to use some technical staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, to attack and destroy BVAS to disenfranchise citizens who are so eager to cast their votes, especially in strongholds 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 the 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 pensions 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 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 announced 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” Engr Nguroje alleged.

Nigerian Tribune reports that the 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 personnel to the state to save the APC from the PDP rigging arrangements.