Kaduna (WorldStage Newsonline)-- Lawmakers on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change rose from a meeting in Kaduna on Sunday, warning that the country would be ungovernable if the Federal Government-led Peoples Democratic Party failed to conduct free, credible and transparent elections in 2015.
The legislators comprising of the National Assembly and State Assembly members from Katsina State held a closed-door meeting at the Jabi road office of former Head of State and Presidential candidate of the Party , Major-General Muhammadu Buhari(rtd).
The lawmakers, who claimed to have met with their leader, General Buhari on knotty issues affecting the party and the nation warned that if the PDP-led government rigged the 2015 elections, there would be bloodbath, saying that they stood solidly behind their leader and presidential candidate, General Buhari over his comment on the conduct of the 2015 general elections.
The Presidential candidate of the party, had while receiving his supporters from Niger State in his office in Kaduna said that in a situation whereby the next general election was rigged, the scenario would be like that of a dog and a baboon engaged in a bloody battle of survival.
The warning is coming on the heels of comment credited to the leader of the Nigeria Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Mujahid Asari Dokunbo that the people from the South-south geo-political zone would defend President Goodluck Jonathan with their last drop, saying that the President will win the 2015 Presidential poll.
However, Senator Abu Ibrahim, who led the lawmakers to Gen. Buhari’s office insisted that unless there was credible general elections in 2015, the ruling party be ready for battle.
Senator Ibrahim, while addressing newsmen after the meeting also raised the alarm that the ruling party is out to destabilize the CPC , saying that the purported expulsion of the National Executive Committee(NEC)members of the party by some members were all the handiwork of the ruling party.
While disowning those that purportedly sacked the NEC of the party, the lawmaker condemned the action of the group, saying that “we know that this is the handiwork of the PDP sponsored detractors of the progress of our great party.”
He called on the state governor, Alhaji Shehu Shema to immediately commence the process of conducting election into the 34 Local Government Council of the state.
“We condemn in totality, the wanton and systematic destruction of democratic principles in Katsina State by the by the Government of Barrister Ibrahim Shehu Shema, the blatant refusal to conduct local government elections, the appointment of illegal caretaker committee for local governments and withholding of monies meant for the development of the local councils. Action that is total breach of very clear provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This fact is attested to by the passage of a bill on the floor of the Federal House of Representatives against the this illegal action of the governments of the Katsina State and 25 other states of the Federation.
“We are not unaware of the moves by certain undemocratic elements to tinker with the tenure of Local Governments by attempting to manipulate the State House of Assembly. We hereby call on the general public to resist this aspect of maladministration,” he said.
Senator Ibrahim, from the Katsina Central Senatorial District also clarify the statement credited to the presidential candidate of the party, insisting that what Buhari said would come to pass if the government failed to conduct a free and transparent polls in 2015.
Said Senator Ibrahim: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication carried by a national daily(not The Punch), purportedly expelling some members of the National Executive Committee of the party from the party. We know that this is the handiwork of the PDP sponsored detractors of the progress of the our great party.
“We the Federal and State legislators from Katsina state on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change are solidly behind the leader of our party, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR and the legally constituted National Executive leadership of the party. We view the action of this renegades CPC group as malicious , mischievous and ultimately targeted at our leader, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. We therefore condemn their action as abhorrent, illegal and of no consequence whatsoever.
“This repugnant action of this renegade CPC group, may be part of an orchestrated plan by the PDP led Federal Government of Goodluck Jonathan to get back at our leader for his recent caution to the PDP rigging machine against rigging the 2015 general elections, especially his use of the Hausa proverb of Karejini, biri jini, literally ‘blood on the dog and blood on the monkey’ which some media outlets as well as PDP party and government employees have been ranting about.
“This is a Hausa proverb which simply means that if the dog keeps on pestering the monkey, one day the monkey will fight back and both will sustain bloody injuries. It is like saying to someone ‘if you steal his money, he will kill you’. Addressee cannot go to court and institute a suit that someone is being instigated to kill him. The statement simply means do not steal his money. It is from this point of view that we see nothing wrong with the simple admonishing coming from our leader. Anybody who doesn’t want the possibility of kare jini , biri jini situation should not rig the elections in 2015.”
