The Acting chairman of Zamfara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Mukhtar Lugga has lamented that the continued harassment and arrest of chieftains and stakeholders of the party by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) is unlawful and unconstitutional.
Lugga stated this during a press briefing in Gusau, the State capital, saying that the governorship candidate of the PDP in the State, Dr. Dauda Lawal Dare has the constitutional right to enter his own State any time, any day he likes.
According to him, the ruling APC should not deceive the people of the State by saying that Dauda’s last Sunday’s visit was illegal, pointing out that notices were given to all relevant stakeholders and authorities in the State.
“This empty propaganda by the ruling APC government in the State can be thrown into a waste paper basket because it does not hold any water”, he added.
Lugga lamented that the PDP as a political party has large followers and mature supporters whose political rights should be respected, stressing that what is happening in Zamfara State now is an attack on democracy.
He said that the ruling APC in the State had embarked on a show of force on law-abiding citizens of the State to stop them from exercising their freedom of expression and freedom to choose the leaders of their choice.
“From what is happening in the State right now, the ruling APC does not want any opposition but to impose leaders on the people of the State which is dictatorship and not a principle of democracy.
“If APC believes that it has done well in the last eight years, why not allow the electorate to decide through the ballot box rather than intimidating the number one opposition party in the State.
“I have repeatedly said that no amount of intimidation from APC will force us to surrender because we are very much ready to salvage and reposition Zamfara State.
“APC controls security agencies but we are not moved by that, we are only trying to pull out the people from the long-dominated general insecurity and socioeconomic hardships in the State,” he vowed.
The chairman urged the members and supporters of PDP to remain calm and continue to be law abiding, assuring that the party would do everything within the law to wrestle power from the ruling APC in the State.
