By Ahmed Ahmed
The People’s Redemption Party (PRP) Bauchi State Chapter has strongly rejected and condemned the local government elections held on Saturday, describing it as an “electoral heist” orchestrated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its allies.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Secretary of the Party Mr Abdulaziz Haruna made available to Journalists on Sunday in Bauchi
He alleged that the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC) and the state chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) colluded with the PDP to manipulate the electoral process, denying the people of Bauchi State their right to vote for their chosen candidates.
According to him, the election was a “prearranged banditry” that reduced the democratic system to an “anachronistic and authoritarian practice.”
“IPAC officials, including the State Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), his deputy from the Young Progressive Party (YPP), and an official from the African Action Congress (AAC), were each rewarded with a councillorship seat for their roles in orchestrating and endorsing the alleged electoral manipulation.
The Secretary described the situation as a “grave injustice” and a “mockery of democracy,” warning those involved that they will face consequences for their actions.
He vowed to take further action to protect the democratic system and ensure that the people’s rights are respected.
“We cannot continue watching people who benefited most from democracy resort to gang-raping it in broad daylight,” said Haruna,
“We will soon decide on the next line of action to take, and we call on all stakeholders, including civil society organizations and progressive-minded individuals, to join us in condemning this electoral heist and ensuring that our democratic system is protected from such atrocities.”
The Secretary however condemned the election and sparked concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in their State and the need for urgent reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future.