Kaduna LG Polls: 31 Parties, Coalition Threaten Boycott

•   Accuses KADSIECOM of bias 

BY AMOS TAUNA, KADUNA – As controversies mount few hours to the Saturday, May 12, 2018 local government council election in Kaduna State, a coalition of 31 political parties in the state has signaled its intention to boycott today’s council polls.

Citing what they described as deliberate plans by Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM), to disenfranchise voters in the state and rig the election in favour of the governing All Progressive Congress (APC), the coalition said it is not ready to give credibility to such a twisted and abused process with its participation in the exercise.

Spokesperson of the group, Umar Ibrahim said in Kaduna on Friday that; “The attention of the leadership of the opposition political parties in Kaduna State has been drawn to a grand plan by the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission to disenfranchise the electoral and rig the local government council’s election which is scheduled to hold on 12th May, 2018.”

According to him, given KADSIECOM’s obvious bias as well as skewed nature of the process, it became imperative for the coalition to alert the general public of “this grand and deliberate plan to rig the election in favour of APC which is unfortunate and mischievous”, adding; “It is on record that, the State Independent Electoral Commission has deliberately refused to make use of the INEC card reader machine for authentication of voters during the election.”

The coalition pointedly accused the electoral umpire of deliberately circumventing the electoral law by refusing to display the voters register at various polling units for voters to confirm their names and eligibility to vote, even as it also raised alarm that “KADSIECOM refused to display the names of aspirants to the public for a minimum period of 10 days in accordance with the extant laws.”

It further drew attention to security concerns, noting that “Kaduna State has had enough of political violence, it is therefore urgently imperative that we put the security of lives and property of our people in high premium.”

“The recent utterances by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai, which placed a bounty on the three distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing the three senatorial districts in the state, has exposed them to danger and subsequently deprived them and their teeming supporters from exercising their civic responsibilities to vote in a free, fair and peaceful election.

“Going by what happened during the APC’s primaries where thuggery left many citizens dead and hospitalized, we are afraid despite the concerted efforts of the state’s security agencies, that the scenario might be re-enacted at the forth coming local government election”, the group said.

Further advancing reasons for the group’s decision to boycott the polls, Ibrahim said; “It is pertinent therefore, that the Kaduna State Coalition of Political Parties, in the interest of peace and safety of lives and property of our candidates and the general public, that we have decided to boycott the forth coming local government election in Kaduna State scheduled for 12th May, 2018.”

It called on the general public to remain calm and pursue their legitimate businesses, adding that as champions of democracy and its attendant benefits to the people, the Kaduna State coalition of political parties would always act in the best and overall interest of the people and Kaduna State.

“As law abiding citizens, we will continue to pursue all element of illegality and violation of the electoral laws at the appropriate Court of Law,” the group said, even as it appealed to their members to remain calm and conduct themselves in a peaceful manner pending the planned steps to be taken in addressing the apparent impunity in the system.