By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State, Mr. Edward John Auta has raised concerns over what he described as plans to militarise the forthcoming Chikun/Kajuru House of Representatives supplementary election scheduled for Saturday.
Speaking on Wednesday during a popular political programme on Invicta FM, Kaduna, Auta alleged that there were “strong indications” the ruling party intended to deploy heavy security presence to intimidate voters and influence the outcome.
“It is evidently clear that people are willing to come out en masse to vote and ensure their votes count,” he said.
“But we are worried about reports of planned militarisation that could suppress voter turnout in PDP strongholds.”
He appealed to the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police and the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Nigerian Army, to caution their officers to remain neutral and professional during the poll.
He also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to live up to its responsibility of conducting free, fair, and credible elections in Chikun/Kajuru as well as Basawa and Zaria Kewaye constituencies.
Auta cited past incidents where security agencies allegedly interfered in the electoral process, particularly at Baban Dodo Collation Centre in Makera, Kaduna SouthLG, leading to the cancellation of votes.
“The PDP has suffered repeated security interference in past elections, where our agents were maltreated, beaten, and forcibly removed from collation centres to pave the way for manipulation of results,” he alleged.
He recalled that during the January or February 2023 general elections, particularly in the contest involving the Kaduna State House of Assembly Speaker, security forces heavily militarised PDP strongholds in Kaduna.
According to Auta, the Chikun/Kajuru constituency remains a PDP stronghold, and if a credible process is guaranteed, the party is confident of reclaiming the seat in Saturday’s by-election.
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