Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal
With just a week left before the 2023 governorship and House of Assembly elections nationwide, both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State have accused each other of colluding with state security agencies to sabotage the electoral process.
At a press conference, the APC’s state chairman, Isa Sadiq Acida, claimed the PDP conspired with security forces during the recent presidential and National Assembly elections. He alleged that armed men and young individuals carrying dangerous weapons were deployed to polling units to attack voters and election agents. Acida further asserted that the same individuals, allegedly sent out by the PDP‑led administration of Governor Aminu Tambuwal, played a significant role in the APC’s setbacks.
The APC called on INEC to investigate certain ad hoc and permanent staff members, whom it believes colluded with the PDP to deliberately delay the delivery of voting materials to APC strongholds and create artificial obstacles to voting. The party also urged security agencies to probe the deliberate destruction of ballot boxes, identify the perpetrators and their sponsors, and ensure they are brought to justice. The APC vowed not to tolerate a repeat of such tactics in the upcoming governorship and State Assembly polls and urged citizens to uphold the principle of one person, one vote.
In response, the PDP held a stakeholder meeting across the state, urging its members to protect their votes from rigging or manipulation. The meeting, attended by party leaders including Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Deputy Governor Muhammad Manir Dan’iya, the campaign director‑general, former ministers and others, affirmed that the PDP had thoroughly reviewed the irregularities observed during the presidential election and pledged never to allow foul means to usurp power again.
PDP leaders condemned the actions of security agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police, which they said were exploited by the APC’s campaign director‑general—also the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi. Governor Tambuwal stressed the need for professionalism among security forces, warning that any further attempts to intimidate voters in the forthcoming elections would be resisted. “All of you know what happened last Saturday. We were winning overwhelmingly when APC thugs invaded the polling units under the watch of security agencies,” he said. “These thugs rendered many polling units inconclusive.”
The PDP declared that, while it remains a law‑abiding party operating within the nation’s electoral framework, it will actively resist rigging. “We will directly and physically confront election riggers to prevent them from truncating our nascent democracy,” the party stated, directing all agents and officials to remain vigilant at polling units to avoid a repeat of Saturday’s events. Governor Tambuwal also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to caution errant security officials.
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