- Senator Kabiru Marafa says Governor Abdulaziz Yari is responsible for the sabotage that led to the postponement of the 2019 general elections
- The APC senator says the Zamfara governor should be held responsible for the shift in election dates
- The senator cited the governor's recent comments that if his candidates are not included in the ballot paper, there won't be elections in the country
Chairman of the Senate committee on petroleum (downstream), Senator Kabiru Marafa, has alleged that Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state is responsible for the sabotage that led to the postponement of the 2019 general elections.
In a statement sent to Legit.ng on Sunday, February 17, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senator described the postponement as unfortunate, while insisting that Governor Yari is the cause of the shift in dates.
The senator cited the governor's recent comments that if his candidates are not included in the ballot paper, there won't be elections in the country.
The senator and the governor are currently battling for the soul of the Zamfara APC chapter, after disagreements over primary elections last year.
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The disagreements were subjected to legal disagreements, prompting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare that the APC won't be fielding candidates for the election.
Part of Senator Marafa's statement read: “During the grand finale of his illegal campaign rallies in his hometown, Talata Mafara, Zamfara on Friday, 8th February, he rained abuses and said unprintable things on the person of INEC chairman Prof Mahmood, and swore that unless his candidates are enlisted to contest, there won't be elections in Zamfara state and the entire country. Now it has come to pass, what next?
“I'm calling on the authorities to hold Yari and his accomplices responsible for this tresaonable sabotage against the country, Nigerians and humanity in general. Just search on the internet, including YouTube, you will see the stories and videos of where Yari stated emphatically that unless his candidates are accepted, elections won't hold in Zamfara state and Nigeria.”
Marafa recalled that, “When Yari conducted illegal primaries, I drew the attention of Nigerians and the world on the dangers inherent in accepting that abuse of our laws, instead of being reprimanded, Yari went ahead to the courts to legalise his illegality.
“Today, the APC has abandoned its earlier position, that its only had a consensus, to supporting Yari's illegal election. This is very sad and unfortunate.
“I am not surprised that immediately after the announcement of the postponement, Yari's boys rushed to the media, radio stations jubilating that they have succeeded. This unfortunate incidence should be probed and condemned by all lovers of the country.
“This is the time to tell Yari and his co-travelers, that Nigeria is bigger than them and their collective ambitions.”
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Meanwhile, the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and its partners have expressed disappointment over the postponement of the 2019 general elections, saying the decision of INEC has socio-economic and political consequences for all stakeholders.
This was the position of the group at a press briefing on Saturday, February 16 in Abuja, even as it urged Nigerians not to be discouraged but to come out en masse on 23rd February and 9th March 2019 to exercise their civic rights.
WANEP also called on the international community, partners and domestic observers not to be deterred or lose faith in Nigeria's electoral process, urging them to remain resolute in their support to ensure peaceful and credible elections.
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Source: Legit.ng
