Alhaji Salisu Majigiri, the Katsina State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Occasion and the celebration’s Federal Home of Representatives candidate for Mashi/Dutsi Constituency within the 2023 normal election, on this interview with OLAIDE OYELUDE, discusses the worsening insecurity within the state and maintains that the non-performance of the ruling APC authorities will work in favour of his celebration within the normal election subsequent yr
How ready is your celebration for the 2023 normal election?
PDP is nicely ready for the 2023 normal election, each on the state and federal ranges. The information of non-performance by the All Progressives Congress have actually helped us as Nigerians see a greater different in our celebration.
Added to that is the truth that our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar is essentially the most skilled of all of the candidates within the election. He’s a one-time Nigeria’s Vice President; he’s a profitable businessman and a detribalised Nigerian with associates and followers throughout the nation. We’re nicely ready and are ready eagerly for the election.
You latterly expressed the worry that present safety challenges may stop residents of some native authorities areas in Katsina State from voting within the forthcoming elections. What’s your stand following the Inspector Basic of Police’s assurance that the election shouldn’t be beneath any safety risk?
Once we discuss of a free, truthful, and credible election, it means Nigerians will freely carry out their civic accountability with none type of intimidation or worry. It additionally means election supplies could be delivered on the numerous polling locations on time, and it means folks would vote and readily elect the celebration of their alternative.
Now, now we have over 129,000 polling items throughout Nigeria the place folks will vote in the course of the normal election.
Sadly, insecurity tends to have worsened in Katsina State because the election inches nearer, even if safety companies are doing their greatest.
On August 31, there was an incident in Jibia Native Authorities the place two troopers had been killed and others had been wounded.
Equally, our Home of Meeting candidate for Kankia, Ibrahim Tafashiya, was kidnapped on Saturday evening, though the police rescued him the identical evening. All of those are taking place lower than six months earlier than the overall election. There isn’t a doubt many electorates could not wish to come out and vote in the course of the election, particularly in a few of the native authorities areas having safety points.
Because of this I’m drawing the eye of mandatory stakeholders to the safety state of affairs in Katsina State in order that mandatory assist will likely be given to safety companies to deal with these terrorists and hooligans who could represent a risk to a free, credible, and truthful election.
To be particular, what number of native authorities areas are at the moment going through safety challenges within the state?
Even some components of Katsina’s central senatorial zone are usually not spared. That is except for the 11 native authorities areas that make up Katsina South/Funtua Senatorial Zone. You additionally discuss of locations like Jibia, Batsari, Danmusa, Safana Kurfi, Kankia, Batagarawa, Malumfashi, and so on.
When there may be insecurity, how do you count on folks to say they wish to vote? How would election supplies arrive on time on the numerous polling centres in these communities?
To sum it up, how may now we have free, truthful, and credible elections if we may have these challenges between now and the election?
What would occur in the course of the election when safety operatives could be overstretched since we’re having the elections on the identical day and on the identical time?
That’s the reason I’m interesting to the federal government to behave decisively now in order that there could possibly be elections in these locations.
Are you saying that the safety problem is past what the federal government can deal with?
No, the federal government, particularly on the federal degree, has the capability to deal with the state of affairs. They’ll curtail the safety state of affairs. All they should do is put in additional effort and assist safety companies.
Take for example, Katsina right here; Do the police have the required logistics, together with operational automobiles and communication devices to deal with the safety challenges? You and I are on this state, and we all know the state of affairs in lots of our police stations throughout the state.
Our safety operatives are keen however the authorities should assist them with the required logistics, together with modern-day devices that may assist in crime prevention and management.
The Inspector Basic of Police has assured that the overall election shouldn’t be beneath any safety risk, whereas the Data and Tradition Minister has additionally mentioned the worst is over on the safety difficulty in Nigeria. Why then are you afraid?
All that I’m after as a politician and as a involved Nigerian is that we wish to have a free, truthful, and credible election in 2023. And I have to convey up points that might derail the election.
The authorities involved, particularly the federal government at numerous ranges, have the accountability to make sure that Nigerians, no matter the place they’re within the nation, train their civic accountability in the course of the normal election. We’re speaking of the overall election, which comes up each 4 years, and never the Electoral School.
All arms have to be on deck, and all the things that may make the election successful should even be placed on the bottom. We strongly hope that issues will certainly enhance. We’re uninterested in statements with out constructive outcomes.
What precisely are the issues the PDP would do in a different way to deal with the safety challenges if it wins the 2023 election?
First, we will promote unity amongst all tiers of presidency, proper from the Federal Authorities right down to the state and additional right down to the native authorities. When there may be unity amongst all of the tiers of presidency, they might work in synergy, and everyone could be involved concerning the progress of Nigeria.
After they work in synergy, there will likely be safety in Nigeria. Second, the native authorities system needs to be strengthened. Our native authorities needs to be given actual autonomy whereas numerous arms, together with conventional rulers and neighborhood leaders in addition to opinion leaders within the numerous councils, are concerned within the affairs of the councils. These would help in intelligence gathering and collation, particularly with new faces in every council, and additional strengthen safety.
Presently, our native governments are simply mere appendages of the states, with no autonomy in the actual sense. All these could be corrected by the PDP authorities.
Fears are being expressed that the present frosty relationship between your celebration’s presidential commonplace bearer within the 2023 election and a few celebration bigwigs could have an effect on the celebration’s fortunes in the long term.
It’s a household affair. It’s also an inner affair, which will likely be resolved very quickly. All of the personalities who’re concerned imply nicely for the celebration.
Some Katsina residents consider that it might be troublesome, if not inconceivable, to defeat the ruling APC within the 2023 normal election; what’s your tackle this?
The election is only a few months away; allow us to wait and see. If it’s a efficiency that may make a celebration win an election, inform me any achievement that the APC can level to in its nearly eight years of ruling Katsina.
All of the landmark initiatives at the moment beneath development within the state are PDP initiatives. They had been both executed by the late Umaru Yar’Adua or Shehu Shema. You might have been within the state for a while, and as a journalist, you realize this as nicely. The folks of Katsina are very clever and nicely enlightened, and they’d give their verdict within the 2023 election.
I’ll, nonetheless, attraction to the electoral physique, the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee to make sure a free, truthful, and credible election. I will even attraction to the safety companies to be impartial and guarantee immediate supply of election objects at numerous polling centres in the course of the election, and I’ll attraction to the residents of the state to additionally troop out and vote in the course of the election.
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