The Kaduna State Government has dismissed claims by opposition parties that it plans to interfere in Saturday’s by-elections for the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency and Sabon-Gari State Constituency.
In a statement, the government described former governor Nasir El-Rufai who spearheads opposition voice in the state as a “frustrated politician” attempting to drag others down with him. It maintained that the state remains stable and progressing, unaffected by what it called political theatrics from remnants of El-Rufai’s administration.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) had accused the state government of plotting to rig the elections through voter intimidation, bribery of officials, and vote-buying. The allegations were made at a press conference attended by ADC officials, including its North-west Vice Chairman, Jafaru Sani, and El-Rufai himself.
However, Kaduna State Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki, rejected the claims as unfounded and politically motivated. He stated that the opposition’s accusations were a desperate attempt to discredit an election they were likely to lose.
The government also emphasised that its administration operates differently from the previous one, denying any association with the alleged violent tactics attributed to El-Rufai’s tenure.
“Democracy in Kaduna is alive and thriving and no amount of theatre from El-Rufai’s political leftovers in ADC will change that,” the commissioner stated.
He described El-Rufai as a “frustrated politician who is sinking and wants to drag others along”.
The state government has also rejected claims by the opposition coalition that local government funds were improperly diverted to finance the upcoming by-elections.
Addressing journalists in his office, Information Commissioner Ahmed Maiyaki, accompanied by Local Government Commissioner Sadiq Mamman-Lagos, stated that the ADC/SDP coalition’s recent poorly attended campaign rallies demonstrated their lack of popular support.
Maiyaki further dismissed allegations that senior INEC officials were being offered land allocations as inducements, stressing that election conduct remains the exclusive constitutional responsibility of INEC, in which the state government plays no part.
The commissioner maintained that all accusations were unfounded and represented desperate attempts to discredit the electoral process ahead of Saturday’s polls.
“We will not sit idly by while political opportunists smear the name of our administration and malign innocent officials with wild, unsubstantiated claims,” he said.
Maiyaki said the government had directed its lawyers to study the allegations for possible legal action.
He reminded journalists of a past incident where “the former governor sent thugs to the NUJ Secretariat, injuring many colleagues,” saying such violence was alien to Sani’s leadership style.
“As we speak, the governor is in Chikun LGA flagging off the construction of Romi–Karatudu Township Road, a community abandoned and demolished under El-Rufai’s eight-year rule,” he said.
Maiyaki accused the coalition of being unsettled by Sani’s inclusive leadership, which, according to him, had united the state and delivered tangible development.
He urged voters to come out en masse tomorrow and disregard the “rantings of political jobbers” masquerading as defenders of democracy.
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