By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
The Campaign Council of Jafaru Leko, the Member-elect for Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency, in Bauchi State, has denied sponsoring thugs to attack and injure Peoples Democratic Party supporters at the Constituency’s Collation Center in Bununu town.
NATIONAL ACCORD had reported that the PDP candidate for the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Constituency in the February 25th election, Kefas Magaji along with his ally, a former Senior Special Assistant on Media to Yakubu Dogara, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Iliya Habila, had, during a press briefing alleged that they were robbed of the victory at the polls.
They alleged that the APC candidate, who is being backed by former Speaker Dogara, had hired thugs who attacked them and their supporters at the Collation Center in Bununu. They added that many of their supporters were injured while more than 10 vehicles including one of his Magaji’s vehicles.
They also alleged that the result of Bununu Ward, the headquarters of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, was deliberately delayed till 1am on Monday when it was announced after the thugs had attacked people and made them run for their lives from the place.
According to them, “from the entire results they announced, the APC candidate got about 1,800 votes over me, but if they had counted the votes genuinely, certainly by all standards, I would have won the election. We are taking up this matter before the election tribunal to ensure that this case is pursued through the legitimate means in order to reclaim my mandate” Magaji said.
But speaking to journalists on Monday at a press briefing, the Deputy Director General Administration, Jafaru Gambo Leko Campaign Council, Michael Damina, debunked all the allegations made by the PDP.
He alleged that it was the PDP candidate who brought thugs to a congress of the Sayawa people in Tafawa Balewa, and they (thugs) damaged 10 vehicles of the former Speaker, Dogara, who is representing the area for the fourth time.
According to them, their principal, Alhaji Jafaru Leko the Member-elect Dass, T/Balewa and Bogoro Federal constituency who has shown great deal of tolerance, maturity and peaceful attitude towards all and sundry.
He said: “In their allegations, they claimed thugs were hired by the winning All Progressives congress (APC) in the recent National assemblies’ Election conducted on the 25th March, 2023. We strongly debunk such lie with total rejection, with the following reasons and facts to backed our points and positions.
“On Thursday 23 February, 2023. The Council of the Gung Zaar (select) organized a general congress meeting at the Central Primary School T/Balewa which was highly graced by the Chiefdoms’ chiefs, elders of the land and the general public of the Zaar and non Zaar within and outside the land. The event also host virtually most of the candidates of different posts from different political parties.
“Of all the entrances of the politicians, the most horrorful was the entrance of the candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP) who came in with armed thugs carrying all sorts of dangerous weapons that alarmed the organizers of the events of some kind of an unrest scenario. The hired thugs came prepared to cause mayhem to whosoever that may not support their sponsor(s).
“On that day more than 10 vehicles and buses were on the convoy of the Speaker of the 8 Assembly Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara CFR were attacked and damaged, including that of our principal and that of the Member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly representing Dass constituency, to mention but few. Just because the former Speaker showed his total support to Alh. Jafaru Gambo Leko by lifting his hands openly at the event.
“On the same day, the hired thugs went into town destroying shops and properties worth millions of naira of some supporters and loyalists of the former Speaker and Alh. Jafaru Gambo Leko. Details of some of these damages are with the security agencies within the Tafawa Balewa metropolis.
“On Friday 24th February, 2023. The eve of the Presidential and National Assembly Election, one of the officials of the Council Gung Zaar was blocked by some set of PDPs hired thugs in Tafawa Balewa town posed some form of threats, warning him that if their candidate of the House of Representatives failed to win the election is their fault and that they will kill him and burn all the houses of those supporting the contestant of the APC.
“Another official of the Tafawa Balewa Council of Chiefs was also attacked leaving him with severe injuries. By the above facts everyone should know that if there is any bridge of law and order by some sort of thugs, it was actually carried out by the PDP desperate manipulators who have lost the election and are trying to cause only God knows what.”
Speaking further, he said: “On the happenings at Bununu on the 26th February, 2023 at the venue of the collation of election results, even the security agencies knew that numerous PDP thugs were mobilized to the venue from Tafawa Balewa with the aim of causing unrest at the area as they were equipped with all sorts of arms as they did on Thursday 23 March, as their pronouncements shows their intents.
“These same hired thugs went on to block the Railway Crossing roundabout along Bununu road in Tafawa Balewa thereby attacking every APC member and supporters of Jafaru Gambo Leko Dull, coming back from Bununu after the announcement of the result. Presently a lot of people sustained different degrees of injuries as a result of the attack on that day.
“The big question we want to ask here is who did all these evil and inhumane acts? The PDP’s hired thugs and their sympathizers. Responding to one of the empty lies about the fact that the Electoral officers were held ransom by whosoever was a pure lie by the schemers who have perfected their act of lies. Nobody was held ransom in the collation center, all the personnel who were inside testified to the fact that they all waited to put up the sum total of scores by all the political parties represented.”
Damina called on security agencies to immediately swing into action and arrest the perpetrators of the violence that marred the election in the Constituency in order to bring them to justice.
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