Linus Oota , Lafia
The north central chapter of opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is alleging that the kidnap and release of female students of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State was masterminded by the ruling APC party and government.
Zonal chairman Hon. Theophilus Dakar Shan stated this on Wednesday in Lafia when he led zonal exco members to a meeting with the state working committee of the party in Nasarawa State.
He said that the APC-led administration of the Federal Government is playing on the intelligence and sensitivity of Nigerians for political reasons.
According to the official: “Two weeks ago, the APC-led Federal Government told Nigerians that the abducted school girls in Dapchi will be released in two weeks and today we wake up to realise that the school girls were released. It is worrisome and sends a bad signal that the government has a hand in it,” he said
He said that the APC was not ready to leave power in 2019 in spite of their performance in government, and urged supporters of the PDP to remain united in order to force the ruling party out of government through the ballot in 2019.
The zonal chairman assured members of the PDP that nobody had hijacked the party structures and that primaries would be conducted transparently, and those who emerge winners would be declared so regardless of their background.
Speaking earlier, state chairman of the party Hon. Francis Orogo informed zonal executives that the party in the state decided to boycott the schedule May 26 local government elections due irregularities in the process.
He said that at the time the state government announced the time table for the election, “the Commission was not properly constituted to take such weighty decisions, as the existing members did not form a quorum. It is therefore absurd that two persons can sit and schedule an election that will affect the destiny of millions of Nasarawa State citizens,” he said.
“It was after the process had started that the Governor sent a list of five APC members to the Assembly for confirmation as Chairman and members of the state Electoral Commission – the new chairman of the Commission just finished his tenure as chairman of Doma local government under the APC.”
According to him, the ongoing amendment to remove a particular section of the Electoral Act, which allows for elections to be announced at polling units, wards and local governments, paving the way for poll results to be announced only by state electoral chairmen, shows that the coming elections have already been rigged.