APC members planning to instigate violence to disrupt polls, Atiku’s aide alleges

Phrank Shaibu, special assistant on public communications to Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that some members of All Progressives Congress (APC) are planning to “foment violence” to disrupt the elections.

In a statement on Thursday, Shaibu claimed that the APC members are seeking for the elections to be “staggered” so that the polls “would not be held simultaneously across the country”.

Shaibu said “failure to hold elections on the same day across the country would be an invitation to rigging”.

“Today, there was serious violence at the Kwanar Dangora on the outskirts of Kano City. This is a state where the APC holds sway. They have already started with the violence as they did in 2019, where they forced a rerun and then used violence to win,” the statement reads.

“We also have it on good authority that this will happen in Borno, Yobe, and Kaduna. Kaduna, in particular, must be singled out because the Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has been prodding his people to disobey President Muhammadu Buhari. He has also been running from pillar to post since his plan to unleash the old naira notes on voters was scuttled by the Federal Government.

“Ebonyi, Cross River, and Imo are all traditional PDP strongholds. However, their governors are members of the APC. They know that they cannot deliver their states for Bola Tinubu, who stands no chance of winning. With vote buying now very difficult, the only option will be to suppress votes through violence.

“The police, the military, and other security agencies must therefore keep an eye on these states to prevent violence.

“There have been complaints about voter suppression in Lagos in the past. In the 2019 presidential election, Oshodi/Isolo witnessed violence, which forced elections to be cancelled in some polling units. Even in Eti Osa today, a council secretary and traditional leader vowed to evict traders if they don’t vote for the APC.

“They are doing this to impress their master and godfather, Bola Tinubu, and we hope the international observers are seeing this.

“We commend the police for summoning those behind the threats against non-indigenes. But more efforts must be channelled towards arresting more of such bigots.”