*APC undermining our electoral process — PDP
* Chadians, others free to campaign for Buhari —APC
* Buhari doesn’t care about electoral sanctity— SMBLF
*Disqualify Buhari, Secondus tells INEC
By Clifford Ndujihe, Emeka Mamah, Henry Umoru, Omeiza Ajayi, Dirisu Yakubu
PRECISELY 14 days to Nigeria’s presidential election, the presence of serving governors from Niger Republic at the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential rally in Kano, has heightened fears among the opposition that foreigners may likely take part in the exercise in border states.
Besides the apprehension over the likelihood of such, the opposition is worried that the development could undermine the electoral process and national security as well.
For the APC, the issue constituted no threat to the nation in any way, but the leading opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, considered the presence of Governor Issa Moussa, of Zinder State and his counterpart Governor Zakiri Umar of Maradi State, as inimical to Nigeria’s interest.
The two governors from Niger Republic, who wore APC campaign attires, were seen, actively taking part in the exercise last Thursday in Kano.
In addition, the foreigners were seen taking photographs with President Muhammadu Buhari at the event.
Irked by the situation, the PDP, urged security agencies to immediately investigate the circumstances leading to the presence of the governors, with a view to stopping further involvement of foreigners in subsequent exercise.
Apart from the party, Saturday Vanguard observed that a cross-section of Nigerians condemned the development on the social media, saying it could undermine the credibility of the poll in border states and as well, endanger national security.
Many of the commentators argued that it had given credence to claims that foreigners had been registered from neighbouring countries especially, Niger Republic, during the continuous voter registration exercise.
Thugs from Niger Republic
However, the PDP toed the line, yesterday, saying the APC has concluded plans to rig the election with mercenaries from Niger Republic.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja, its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan, expressed worry that the development could pave the way for influx of non-Nigerians into the country to illegally participate in the 2019 elections.
He said: “The PDP demands an urgent and thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the presence of politicians and thugs from Niger Republic at the APC presidential rally in Kano last Thursday.
“Our security agencies must immediately investigate and lay in the public domain the circumstances leading to their presence, which more or less confirmed that the APC has lost all domestic credibility and has assumed a desperate mode.
“The APC and the Presidency must immediately explain the roles being played by Issa Moussa, Governor of Zinder and his counterpart from Maradi, Zakiri Umar both of the Niger Republic, who were sighted decked in the attires and official logos of the APC, in our political affairs. President Buhari and the APC, in their desperation, have compromised our territorial integrity as a nation and this portends grave danger to our national security and the sanctity of our electoral process.
“For a nation contending with insurgency and banditry, the involvement of mercenaries from neighbouring countries at the APC rally must be condemned by all and sundry. This is particularly against the backdrop of claims by President Buhari that killer herdsmen ravaging our nation are mercenaries who are infiltrating from the Sahel region.
Mobilising merchants of violence
“Unscrupulous elements are already mobilising merchants of violence, including armed bandits and terrorists to orchestrate violence during the elections in several states of the federation. Miscreants who came from Niger Republic to President Buhari’s rally are being offered accommodation in our country by the APC to unleash violence immediately it is clear that President Buhari is losing.
“The presence of the Niger Republic governors at President Buhari’s rally signposts a direct assault on the credibility of the presidential election. This is particularly against the backdrop of INEC’s plans to allow Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in that country to vote in our election, a situation that opens the way for aliens to infiltrate as IDPs and participate in our elections.
“Our apprehensions are accentuated by INEC’s recent mass creation of additional polling units which have not been properly designated and which may be deployed for the perpetuation of monumental electoral fraud. We note how Kano State, in 2015, delivered 1.9 million votes to the APC presidential candidate in circumstances devoid of transparency and credulity.
“Moreover, the promise by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state to deliver five million votes to Presidential Buhari in the 2019 elections is predicated on the unfettered opening of our international borders to foreign political interests.
Chadians, Nigerians, others free to join Buhari
On its part, APC said citizens of other countries were free to participate in its electioneering campaigns.
Director, Field Operations of the Buhari Campaign Organisation and former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu said this while speaking with Saturday Vanguard on the sidelines of a one-day workshop convened for canvassers.
His words: “It is a free world and it is the constitutional right of everyone to be where he wants to be. You have no right to stop anybody from doing what he wants to do. People from West Africa are free to move into Nigeria.
“We have a protocol or agreement that they don’t need visa to come into this country. I know for sure that they don’t have to vote but as a free West African who believes that someone has done extremely very well, and decided to identify himself with what he believes in, I don’t think there is anything wrong and I don’t think there is any crime committed. You cannot and you have no right as a Nigerian to stop them from exercising their fundamental rights to identify with their friends.
“Their presence may or may not have any impact on the re-election but they are entitled to it. We have to guarantee their freedom because their presence is within the law and we don’t have the right to stop them.”
Buhari undermining national security, electoral sanctity—SMBLF
Also, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, said the participation of the foreigners was an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and abuse of diplomatic relations.
In a joint statement by Yinka Odumakin, South West; Prof Chigozie Ogbu, South East; Senator Bassey Henshaw, South-South; and Dr. Isuwa Dogo, Middle Belt, the group said the action validated the desperation of the APC to deploy every untoward scheme to impugn the integrity of the forthcoming election.
The southern and Middle Belt leaders said: “For an administration which recently lampooned Western diplomatic powers and bodies for criticising the unconstitutional suspension of the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen from office, this is the height of duplicity and doublespeak.
“Never in our political history has our national security been so endangered in the name of politics and politicking, a situation which calls for an immediate investigation by relevant security agencies. The National Intelligence Agency, NIA, the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA and the Department of State Services, DSS, must interrogate this development and report their findings to Nigerians whose best interests they swore to serve.
Unholy philandering
“In a country which has been in the vice grip of accentuated terrorism, herdsmen killings, banditry and kidnapping in parts of the country especially since the advent of the Buhari administration, the kind of unholy philandering between Buhari and regional neighbours suspected of complicity in our internal security challenges, calls for introspection.
“Last year, President Buhari prioritised the construction of a rail line from Kano to Maradi in Niger, at a time several aspects of our national infrastructure were and are still begging for attention. Maradi, the third largest city in Niger Republic and Zinder, are two prefectures in the country which are predominantly populated by Fulanis with a consanguineal relationship with Daura emirate, Buhari’s birthplace.
“As military Head of State in 1985, Buhari purportedly favoured Ide Oumarou, a diplomat from Niger, over and above Nigeria’s own Peter Onu, in the race for the position of Secretary-General of the African Union, AU, to underscore his consanguineous relationship and sentiments with and for the Nigerien Oumarou.”
Disqualify Buhari, Secondus tells INEC
Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to disqualify President Buhari over what he termed importation of mercenaries.
Secondus said this yesterday in Enugu during the party’s presidential campaign in the state.
He said “In Kano, Buhari brought mercenaries to vote and influence elections in Nigeria. I, therefore, call on INEC to disqualify Buhari for bringing mercenaries.”
