By Ado Hassan, Sokoto
The Peoples Democratic Party in Sokoto state says it has uncovered alleged plans by the Federal Government with the active support of the opposition All Progressives Congress at the national level to deploy security agents and military to the state for the governorship and states assembly supplementary polls.
It said the party was in the know that prominent politicians from other states, especially those neighbouring Sokoto State, would be assigned into Sokoto to influence the vote in the areas affected by the election reschedule.
In a release signed and issued to reporters by the party chairman in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma who raised the alarm said the motive behind their plans was to threaten, intimidate and terrify PDP supporters.
” This is clearly with a view to militarizing the polls in order to intimidate and terrify our people into submission and deny them the freedom and composure to elect candidates of their choice, the same game plan of the APC for the two subsequent elections.
” Our party wishes to caution all the parties and individuals involved in the scheme against an infringement on the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of our people to their choice. The PDP also draws the attention of these schemers to the inherent dangers of their plans to the safety of our people, their lives and property”, the release stressed.
” It should be noted however, that the APC, the institutions of the Federal Government and individuals involved in this plot will be held responsible for the possible negative consequences of their desperate designs for Sokoto State”, he further remarked.
The party chairman however said Sokoto people were peace loving and law abiding citizens whom he maintained that they do not deserve such an unwarranted interference and harassment that greatly portends threat to their lives, at the alter of crude quest for power.
” Sokoto State, as the originator of all its neighbours, deserves respect and the goodwill of it’s sisters, rather than be turned into a battle zone for unscrupulous politicians, who wish to rule our people against their will”, Milgoma pointed out.
Accordingly, while further making its position clear on the victory denied the party and its candidate in 9 March polls, Milgoma who revisited that outcome, maintained that” our people have expressed their will in the unjustifiably disrupted electoral process and will not be cowed into changing their choice by any forces, however massive, contriving or strong.”
