The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State has strongly condemned the brutal attack on innocent voters during the rerun by-election in the Kunchi/Tsanyawa State Assembly constituency.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Hashim Dungurawa, the party Chairman, alleged that the attacks were orchestrated to disenfranchise voters and disrupt the election process.
“We noticed with dismay the sporadic attacks on unsuspecting voters to disenfranchise them from exercising their civic rights. Since last night, we sighted the deployment of thousands of thugs hired by the APC to distract the election process,” said Dungurawa.
Despite the challenges, Dungurawa commended the security forces for their efforts in protecting the lives of people in the affected areas.
However, he expressed concern over what he described as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the electoral process.
In response to the NNPP’s accusations, Zakari Sarina, the Secretary of the Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), denied that any election took place in the state.
Sarina accused the NNPP of taking over the entire process from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), serving as party agents for both the APC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“The NNPP took over the entire process from INEC, having taken over the election process by serving as party agents of APC and PDP. They also took over election materials and even wrote the results,” alleged Sarina.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier suspended re-run elections in 20 polling units across Kano, Enugu, and Akwa-Ibom states due to reported irregularities, disruptions, and the abduction of election officials.
The decision aligns with the provisions of Section 24(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Further measures for the affected constituencies are expected to be announced after the Commission’s meeting on Monday.