Desmond Mgboh, Kano

Kano State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has formally written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking the cancellation of the March 23 supplementary elections in the state.

The letter titled :“Request for the cancellation of Kano gubernatorial Re- run Elections as a Result of the invasion of the State by Hired Political Thugs by the Ruling APC and Kano State Government,” was dated March 23, 2019, and addressed to the Resident Electoral Commission of INEC in the state.

The letter, which was signed by the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the People’s Democratic Party, Engineer Rabiu, Sulieman Bichi, recalled that sequel to their previous letter cautioning against the possibility of creating mayhem through the deployment of thugs in all the affected areas of the re-run elections, they were formally making a request for the cancellation of the exercise in the state

The PDP hinged its request letter on the grounds of “massive invasion of political thugs into the state who are believed to have been hired by the APC and the Kano State government.

“We are reliably informed that the ruling APC imported thousands of thugs from neighboring states of Jigawa, Plateau, Katsina, Kaduna and Zamfara and Niger Republic in addition to the ones generated locally from within the state” it stated in the letter.

The party added that the political thugs who invaded the 208 polling units across the state, denied the PDP agents access to perform their duty as stipulated in the Electoral Act.

The PDP regretted that the police, on the orders of the DIG Anthony Micheal “has been seen aiding and abating electoral offences such as ballot box snatching , multiple voting and casting of votes with a third-party PVCs.

“It is important to note that in all the 28 local government where the re-run is taking place , the aforementioned electoral offences have been witnessed by the public, including the media and the international observers” the party said in a letter whose copy was also sent to the Inspector General of Police and the Director-General of Department of State Security.

“It is pertinent to state that agents of the Kano State government are in possession of elections sensitive materials which they have already prepared and in all cases got signed for the purpose of swapping the actual result of the rerun elections,” the party concluded.