Zamfara Assembly By-election; APC Waging War Against Democracy

The Centre for Public Accountability CPA, has described as a bad omen for free and fair election, the desperation being exhibited by the All Progressives Congress APC, ahead of the bye election into the Bakura constituency of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, scheduled for Saturday December 5, 2020.

CPA in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Olufemi Lawson says it was reacting to the constitution of a 20-man election campaign Council by the APC National secretariat, which has 3 serving Governors, Senators, members of the House of Representatives and others as members. The APC had in a statement by it Deputy National Publicity secretary, appointed the Jigawa State Governor, Badaru Abubakar as the Chairman of the committee, which also has Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, Senator Wammako from Sokoto State among many others.

“As key observers in the democratic process, we are deeply concerned, that if an election involving only one seat in the state house of assembly can generate so much interest from the APC, in a manner that threaten to overheat the polity, what will happen if such election is statewide, involving larger constituencies.

“We are amazed by the audacity of the APC to raise these army of campaigners, in the same state where neither the party nor its leader in the state, former Governor Abdul’aziz Yari have associated with the people of the state, whom he abandoned with a burden of Insecurity, after his tenure in 2019.

“The show of shame by the APC, is an extension of the threat that has been issued by some top politicians of the party in the State, to destabilise the administration of the incumbent Governor, Hon. Bello Matawalle.” CPA said.

The statement further said what the APC is aiming to achieve with the byelection, is a futher degeneracy of the security situation in Zamfara state, hence the need to call them to order urgently,

“APC should at all times be reminded, that there is a limit to the abuse of power and any attempt to deny the people, the right to freely elect their representatives, should be resisted.’

“Constituting such an intimidating campaign council for a state assembly seat election shows that the party have lost control of themselves and they are bound to also lose control of the nation -democratically.” the statement concluded