Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State has been accused of fuelling unrest across religious and ethnic lines following the outcome of the recent Court of Appeal judgement that upheld the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule.
The concern was raised by the senior special assistant to the governor on public affairs, Mr Peter Ahemba, in Lafia yesterday.
In a statement he issued to journalists, Ahemba accused the opposition party of attempting to discredit and blackmail the judiciary through a stage-managed protest in Lafia over the recent judgement.
He said the reference by the “sponsored individuals” under the aegis of “Coalition of Indigenous People of Nasarawa State” to some citizens of the state as “foreigners” during the “stage-managed” protest amounted to fuelling ethnic discord in the state where the people have coexistence peacefully all their lives.
He said the PDP has consistently towed the dangerous path right from the electioneering campaigns ahead of the March 18 governorship election in the state and maintained the tempo despite repeated warning by security agencies that it refrained from plugging the state into crisis.
He said the party had also launched an attack against the judiciary while the proceedings of the last governorship election petition tribunal lasted, adding that the stage-managed protest was another ploy to elicit sympathy from unsuspecting public and discredit the judiciary.
“The recent stage-managed protest against the Appeal Court judgement by a group of sponsored individuals under the aegis of ‘Coalition of Indigenous People of Nasarawa State’ as a calculated attempt to discredit the courageous, sound and firm judgement of the Appeal Court and blackmail the nation’s judiciary for choosing to look at the appeal brought before it by the Governor on its merit rather than primordial sentiments.
“The call on the International Community to intervene in the internal affairs of the state and tagging some ethnic groups as foreigners is laughable and has further exposed the opposition PDP of its ethnic agenda in the politics of Nasarawa State. The PDP as a party and its leaders must be reminded that the state is highly diverse in terms of ethnic and religious beliefs and that no ethnic group or religion has the capacity to produce the governor of the state without the support of the others.
“We therefore condemn this show of desperation for power and urge security agencies in the state to note this dangerous rhetoric hovering very close to instigating hate amongst citizens by the opposition PDP and its sponsored groups in the state.
“It is also laughable that the PDP sponsored coalition alleged external interference in the affairs of the state when the opposition party relied solely on external forces to acquire power having been rejected by the electorates at the governorship poll. It is public knowledge how the PDP sought and got the support of some unsuspecting individuals and organizations within and outside the country on the basis of sentiments in its quest to snatch the mandate given to Governor Sule and his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), “Ahemba stated.
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