KANO — The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Abdullahi Atta, alongside the All Progressives Congress (APC), has accused the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) of unleashing heavily armed thugs to intimidate voters and hijack the electoral process during Saturday’s rerun election in Bagwai and Shanono local government areas of Kano State.
Addressing journalists in Kano, Atta alleged that residents were chased out of their communities by “thousands of armed NNPP thugs” imported from within and outside the state, leaving the APC candidate and supporters vulnerable to violent attacks.
“As early as 5 a.m., Shanono and Bagwai were invaded by armed thugs wielding dangerous weapons, allegedly recruited from Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, and other places. They stormed polling units, hijacked sensitive materials, and allocated votes for their party. No credible election took place in Shanono/Bagwai,” the minister said.
He further claimed that the NNPP’s actions violated the peace pact signed by all parties ahead of the election, stressing that the coordinated attacks forced residents to flee to neighboring Gwarzo and Bichi LGAs.
“The APC candidate’s residence was attacked. Supporters were brutalized. Voters who had been waiting for months to exercise their democratic right were disenfranchised, traumatized, and chased away from their homes,” Atta stated.
According to him, despite prior alerts and assurances from security agencies, the thugs overwhelmed the communities before law enforcement could intervene.
He appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to nullify the exercise, describing it as a charade that undermined democracy.
“How can we claim to uphold democracy when citizens are chased away from their homes hours before the election? An election marred by violence is no election at all. The integrity of our democratic process must be defended,” Atta emphasized.
The minister urged APC supporters to remain calm and law-abiding while calling on security agencies to prosecute those arrested in connection with the violence.
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