Bye-election: Kaduna Govt denies alleged plot to rig, slams ADC, SDP claims

Kaduna State Government says Saturday’s bye-elections in Chikun/Kajuru and state constituencies in Sabon Gari and Zaria will strictly be conducted in accordance with the rules and regulations of INEC.

The state government added that any attempt to sabotage the exercise would be seriously dealt with in accordance with the law of the land.

It stated that the claim by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) coalition over allegations of plans to sabotage Saturday’s bye-elections in Chikun/Kajuru and state constituencies in Sabon Gari and Zaria are all baseless, describing the allegations as “laughable lies” by “political leftovers” of former governor Nasir El-Rufai.

The ADC National Vice Chairman (North-West), Jafaru Ibrahim Sani, had on Thursday accused Governor Uba Sani’s administration of plotting to rig the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency and state constituency elections in Zaria and Sabon Gari through mass recruitment of thugs, bribery of electoral officials, and vote buying.

The coalition had also called on INEC to guarantee the neutrality of its officials and its commitment to respect the will of the voters, pointing out that such a statement of commitment to election integrity must include the recusal of compromised personnel from the election process, their immediate recall, and replacement with fresh electoral and technical support staff immediately.

Kaduna State Government, in a press briefing by Commissioner of Information-designate Ahmed Maiyaki, described the claims as baseless, mischievous, and a desperate attempt to discredit an election the coalition “knows it cannot win.”

Maiyaki said the ADC/SDP coalition’s poorly attended rallies in recent weeks had already exposed their rejection by the electorate, prompting them to “cry wolf where there is none” as a face-saving measure ahead of their defeat on Saturday during the bye-elections.

The coalition also alleged that plots of land were being offered to senior INEC officials as inducement, while a “disgraced former senator” known for electoral violence was put in charge of deploying the alleged funds for vote buying and security compromise. It urged INEC to replace allegedly compromised personnel and called on security agencies to resist being used to subvert the people’s will.

It demanded the prosecution of the Commissioner for Local Government and others accused of recruiting thugs to disrupt the polls.

Maiyaki explained that the state government has no role in election conduct, saying that the exercise is an exclusive responsibility of INEC, and accused the coalition of trying to drag the administration into “self-inflicted political misery.”

“We will not sit idly by while political opportunists smear the name of our administration and malign innocent officials with wild, unsubstantiated claims. Government lawyers have been directed to study the allegations for possible legal action,” he explained.

Bye-election: Kaduna Govt denies alleged plot to rig, slams ADC, SDP claims