….demands arrest of suspects
By Musa Baba Adamu
The Campaign Organisation of Barr. Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi has alleged that its principal came under gun attack by suspected political thugs along the Karshi-Takalafiya Road in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The alleged attack reportedly occurred on Saturday evening while Abdullahi was on his way to Karshi 2 Ward to verify reports that the court-ordered rerun primary election of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) did not take place in the ward.
The rerun primary was between Abdullahi and former General Nuhu Bala Angbazo.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Media and Publicity Directorate of Abdullahi’s Campaign Organisation, the campaign said its principal personally visited the ward to ascertain the situation after receiving credible reports that voting had not taken place.
According to the statement, his convoy came under gunfire along the Karshi-Takalafiya Road while approaching the ward.
The campaign expressed gratitude to God for sparing Abdullahi and members of his entourage, adding that preliminary eyewitness accounts had identified one Musa Bako Karshi and another individual as suspected perpetrators.
However, it stressed that the individuals had not been declared guilty, calling on security agencies to conduct an impartial investigation into the incident.
The campaign demanded the immediate invitation, interrogation and investigation of the named suspects and other persons who might have been connected to the shooting.
It also alleged that no election took place in Karshi 2 Ward, describing any result purportedly emanating from the ward as fictitious and fraudulent.
The organisation further claimed that the shooting was intended to intimidate Abdullahi and conceal the alleged failure to conduct the election.
It insisted that the court-ordered rerun was intended to give party members the opportunity to freely choose their preferred candidate and should not be undermined by violence or manipulated results.
The campaign consequently called on the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to investigate the incident, ensure the safety of Abdullahi, his supporters, delegates and residents of Karshi 2 Ward.
It also urged the ADC national and state leadership, alongside the electoral committee, to investigate the conduct of the exercise in the ward and nullify any result allegedly produced without voting.
The organisation further called on the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take note of what it described as an attempt to undermine a court-ordered electoral process through violence and electoral fraud.
While appealing to Abdullahi’s supporters to remain calm and avoid retaliation, the campaign also challenged General Angbazo and his supporters to publicly condemn the alleged attack and distance themselves from violence.
The statement maintained that Abdullahi remained committed to the people of Karu, insisting that his visit to Karshi 2 Ward was to defend the voting rights of ADC members allegedly denied the opportunity to participate in the rerun election.
The campaign concluded by declaring its commitment to pursuing the matter through lawful means, insisting that justice must prevail.
There was no response from Musa Bako Karshi, General Angbazo or his campaign organisation to the allegations in the statement as of the time of issuing this report.
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