Zamfara PDP Alleges Plot to Manipulate Gov’s LGA Election Result

Zamfara state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the state governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, is plotting to manipulate the authentic results of his hometown, Maradun local government.

According to the PDP, the governor has been in touch with top officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his bid to manipulate the result of the local government in his favor.

In a statement Monday in Gusau, the party through the Dauda Lawal Media office, noted that the governor was not willing to accept defeat.

The statement read: “Governor Matawalle thinks that it would be that easy for him to manipulate the result of his hometown, Maradun. We have confirmed from verified sources that the governor has been in touch with top INEC officials, forcing them to allocate fake figures in his favor.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has already uploaded results of 185 polling units out of the total 195 polling units of the local government.

“Results from eight wards have been completed on the INEC election results portal while awaiting the upload of 10 polling units in two wards.

“Even if the governor will succeed in forcing the returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Maradun local government area to allocate illegal figures to him, there is no way they can erase or manipulate the over 90% results uploaded so far on the portal.

“He requested the INEC officials to add at least 50, 000 votes in his favor before announcing the result of the Maradun local government. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must exonerate itself from this unholy plot.

“As part of the clandestine move by the governor, he ordered the unlawful arrest of the PDP chairman of Maradun local government. Our party agents across wards were targeted and arrested.

“Abdulmutallib Sani and Nura Ibrahim were arrested in Janbako ward; Hamza Usman and Abdulhamid Bala were arrested in Maradun Nortth local government; Sani Umar and Nura Hamisu were arrested in Damaga/Gama Giwa ward; Ibrahim Sulaiman and Saidu Garba were arrested in Dosara/Birnin Kaya ward; Yahaya Yusuf and Sani Moh’d were arrested in Maradun South.

“Also, Abubakar Jafar and Muhammad Abdulnasir were arrested in Faru Magami ward; Kamilu Lawal and Abdulrahman Tukur were arrested in Gora ward; Mustapha Yusuf and Lawali Kaya were arrested in Kaya ward; while Surajo Dan Galadima and Namadina Muh’d were arrested in Gidan Gogo ward.

“Our source also confirmed that the governor has left Gusau for Maradun local government this morning, to execute the plan of manipulating the result.

“We are calling on INEC to discountenance itself from this charade and investigate and punish all its officers who are complicit in this plot. We call on the security operatives to do the same.”