The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State has petitioned the police authority to investigate the district head of Akuyam Community, Alhaji Iliya Aliyu and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over “involvement and incitement” of thuggery on its campaign entourage.
WikkiTimes learnt that APC supporters were during a campaign on January 30, attacked and injured at Akuyam Town in Misau local council. The assailants also destroyed the vehicles of the party’s supporters.
According to the petition signed by the party’s attorney, Mukhtar Abubakar Usman, APC gubernatorial candidate in Bauchi, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, was about to enter the town when the chaos erupted.
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Before the incident, it was written in the petition that the Director General of the Bauchi State APC Governorship Campaign Council, Alhaji Nadada Umar, received a phone call from the district head of Akuyam Alhaji Iliya Aliyu, warning the APC campaign entourage not to approach the town as the residents have resolved not to host any party other than the PDP.
The statement partly read: “Bauchi State APC Governorship Council, Alhaji Nadada Umar received a phone call from one, Alhaji Iliya Aliyu, the District Head of Akuyam, Misau Local Government Area (1 herein the accused person), who warned the former not to dare approach Akuyam Town because according to him, Akuyam people had purportedly resolved not to entertain any political party other than PDP as it had already met their communal demands for development of the area, hence his town and the entire district does not welcome the APC.
“That, in addition, the 1st accused person (Alhaji Iliya Aliyu, the District Head of Akuyam) warned in the telephone conversation that if the Bauchi State APC Governorship Candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar (Rtd.) enters Akuyam Town, then, APC and its supporters would have themselves to blame for any negative eventuality.
“That on the same day being Monday the 30th day of January, 2023, after many of APC supporters had already entered Akuyam Town but before the Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar could enter the town, some thugs, armed with stones and other harmful objects such as sticks, machetes etc. stationed themselves at different points inside Akuyam Town and continued to smash cars and buses conveying APC supporters, thereby damaging several number of vehicles forming part of the Air Marshal Abubakar’s campaign entourage. As a result of this unfortunate development, many APC supporters sustained various degrees of injuries.
“That having received information that his supporters were being attacked by armed thugs, the Bauchi APC Governorship candidate, Air Marshal Abubakar stopped part of his entourage which was reachable, turned to Azare and spent the night there to avoid escalation of the violent attack already started by the thugs instigated by the accused persons. On the next day, Tuesday the 31 day of January, 2023, the said APC campaign entourage went back to Akuyam and held its campaign rally peaceful including paying a courtesy visit on the said District Head of Akuyam, Alh. Iliya Aliyu (1 the accused person).
“That while addressing the said APC Governorship Candidate’s campaign entourage at his palace, the said District Head of Akuyam, Alh. Illya Aliyu (the 1st accused person) bitterly accused Air Marshal Abubakar of not heeding to his earlier warning not to come to Akuyam because his District is for PDP which “has done everything for them” and he attributed the violent incident that escalated to smashing of their vehicles to APC’s entry into Akuyam against his earlier warning. And it is obvious that the District Head of Akuyam is an accomplice, if not a mastermind of the criminal act of smashing the APC’s vehicles because, surprisingly, it was he, the District Head of Akuyam who first told the false story of a purported shooting of individuals at our rally. Our client never knew anything whatsoever about the shooting incident.”
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While calling for a timely intervention of the Bauchi Police command, the party called for immediate arrest and prosecution of the persons involved.
“It is on the above premise that we, on behalf of our client, the Bauchi State APC Governorship Campaign Council that we invite you to exercise your statutory powers under section 4 of the Police Act, 2020 in arresting and investigating the accused persons for offences of terrorism and other related offences in order to help stabilize the political climate of Bauchi State especially at this critical time of electioneering campaign that requires a leveled playing field for all political parties and their candidates to enjoy peaceful environment devoid of intimidation or harassment,” it stated.
