The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) have accused the Kaduna State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to sabotage the upcoming bye-elections in Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency and the State Constituencies of Sabon Gari and Zaria.
In a joint statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday, the coalition alleged that the APC is unelectable and is relying on thuggery, vote-buying, and the compromise of electoral officials to win the polls scheduled for August 16.
“It is now clear that the APC government intends to disrupt the bye-elections, manipulate the process, and seize victories in polls they cannot win through a fair and transparent contest.
“To execute their plot and ensure all the APC candidates are returned as winners, our coalition has credible intelligence that the APC government in Kaduna State has recruited about 4,000 thugs from within and outside the state to intimidate citizens and opposition officials at polling units and collation centres,” the statement read.
The coalition further claimed that some senior officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been offered plots of land and other inducements to influence the outcome of the polls.
They also alleged that each of the state’s 23 local governments had been compelled to contribute ₦30 million to an “election sabotage fund,” with an additional ₦4.8 billion reportedly sourced from Abuja for vote-buying, bribing election officers, and compromising security agents.
“These assaults on election integrity are being coordinated at the highest levels of the state government,” the statement added.
The coalition named a serving commissioner and some local government officials as key actors in the alleged plot.
“We have credible information that senior officials in Kudan, Soba, and Zaria local government councils are recruiting thugs to attack our events and disrupt our campaigns.
“As a law-abiding coalition, we are alerting INEC and the security agencies to these unlawful and undemocratic acts by the APC government in Kaduna State, and urging that they be stopped to prevent unpredictable reactions from our supporters and the general public.
“We call on INEC to ensure the neutrality of its officials and demonstrate its commitment to respect the will of voters by removing any compromised personnel from the election process and replacing them with fresh, impartial staff immediately,” the statement added.
ADC, SDP raise alarm over alleged APC plot to rig bye-elections in Kaduna
