By Ali Abare Abubakar
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State has asked the federal government to impose a state of emergency in the state in the wake of series of communal crisis that has so far led to the lost of several lives.
The party stated this during a world press conference held in Abuja yesterday, where the PDP blamed Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura for allegedly masterminding the crisis, with “the objective to not only deny certain communities votes, but to make sure that the ethnic and population pattern of the state is permanently dislocated and altered to achieve long-term political goals.”
While calling on the federal government to act quickly in a bid what the party described as the gradual spread of terrorism in Nasarawa State, which the PDP alleged will affect the security of the states in the entire North Central as well as the FCT.
Addressing journalists at the event, Yunana Iliya, state PDP chairman, stated that “there was no doubt that those carrying out the widespread destruction are professional terrorists brought into Nasarawa State”, urging the security agencies to arrest sponsors of these attacks and must deploy troops in the area.
“The security situation in Nasarawa State has worsened in recent weeks following the importation of large number of mercenaries who have now embarked on widespread destruction of villages, towns and communities spread across Nasarawa South and Nasarawa North senatorial zones” the party further alleged.
According to Iliya, the mercenaries, who he said were kept in camps in the affected areas, are also supplied with vehicles, which they use for sudden attacks.
“There is no doubt whatsoever that these mercenaries are hired and sustained by the state government to completely dislocate the voting population in order to enable Governor Al-makura to return as governor in 2015.”
On the suspended distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP accused Al-makura of colluding with INEC officials in the state, to deny certain communities the right of collecting the PVC, calling on the chairman of the electoral body to beam his searchlight across the state.
