By Ibrahim Shuaibu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has stated that it will not participate in the January 16, 2021, local government elections in Kano State.
The state caretaker Chairman of the party, Alhaji Danladi Umar Kagara, told journalists in Kano yesterday that their party would not participate in an election that has been allegedly predetermined by the state Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
According to the PDP chairman, “The state government has set aside the sum of N2.3 billion for an election that already has a predetermined outcome.”
Kagara stated that PDP is withdrawing from the election for lack of confidence and trust in the electoral process under Ganduje.
The party declared that the January local government election would be reminiscent of the 2019 election where Ganduje allegedly manipulated the election processes and influenced court verdicts to return to power.
He said: “Our party (PDP) is reminiscent of the conduct of Ganduje-led administration during the 2019 general election, and has carefully studied the process and come to the conclusion that the APC-led government has grossly undermined the independence of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), and therefore, it lacks the moral impetus to superintend any election in the state.
“The PDP and indeed the people of the state cannot forget how Ganduje and the APC, in connivance with electoral officials, used hoodlums and political thugs as well as security agents to intimidate voters and disenfranchise the populace during the 2019 general election that fraudulently brought the Ganduje administration into office by also manipulating the judiciary.
“Furthermore, the conduct of the Ganduje administration in the buildup to the January local government election have shown how the APC members have turned the electoral process into a do-or-die affair.
“How can a government that manipulates and subverts its own party constitution just to impose preferred candidates in its primary be able to conduct a free and fair local election that will treat the opposition parties fairly?
“An election that is prearranged to serve as payback to Ganduje’s cronies can be everything but credible, and we will be naive and presumptuous to think that we will have a level playing ground as the opposition.”
However, while responding to questions from journalists, the committee chairman explained that this is the decision of the party for now and circumstances can call for any further stance when the need arises.
