Nigeria: Zamfara Govt Raises Alarm Over Alleged Militarisation of Kauran Namoda By-Election

Speaking on Channels Television's Lunch Time Politics on Wednesday, the spokesperson to the Zamfara State Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, alleged that both the Police and the Military were being deployed in a manner that suggests bias in favour of the APC.

As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) moves to conclude the by-election in Kaura Namoda South Constituency, the Zamfara State Government and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed deep concerns over what they described as a plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the process through the use of security agencies.

Mr Idris accused a brigade commander of openly conducting himself like an APC agent during last Saturday's inconclusive election in Zamfara.

"This is a very shameful act because it violates the rules of the election. He got a chair, sat there all through the election, and was taking instructions from APC while scaring away PDP supporters," he alleged.

The governor's spokesperson further claimed that the security mobilization for the election was more massive than what had been done in the fight against banditry and insecurity in the state.

"We have never seen this kind of police and military deployment just to conclude an election in a few polling units in one ward. From Kaduna, Katsina, and other parts of Northern Nigeria, large numbers of mobile policemen are being mobilised and deployed," he stated.

Mr Idris called on the Nigerian media and civil society organisations to pay closer attention to the Kauran Namoda South ward where the supplementary election will hold on Thursday.

It would be recalled that INEC declared last Saturday's election in Kauran Namoda South constituency inconclusive. The commission fixed a supplementary poll in a few polling units in the ward with a combined registered voter population of about 3,500.

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