Don’t Link Al-Makura With Lafia Violence – Group

The camp of Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura has rejected the Nasarawa State Government’s attempt to link the former governor to the violence that marred the APC presidential rally in Lafia, describing it as reckless and politically mischievous.

In a press release signed by the Secretary to the Government of Nasarawa State, Dr Labaran Shuaibu Magaji, SAN, the government alleged that the incident was “marred by ignoble acts perpetrated by some irate youth suspected to be linked to some high-profile personalities including Sen. Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and IGP Muhammad Abubakar Adamu (Rtd).”

The government further stated that the act was “deliberately carried out to show disregard to constituted authorities and to the exalted office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

But in a swift rebuttal signed by Almakura’s camp spokesman, Danjuma Joseph for Senator Al-Makura, the camp said the allegation was a desperate attempt to divert attention from Governor Abdullahi Sule’s own conduct and the internal crisis rocking the Nasarawa APC.

Joseph argued that the rally, which was meant to mobilise support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election, was turned by Governor Sule into an avenue to promote the governorship ambition of Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, with repeated chants of “Wadada for Governor!”

He insisted that an APC presidential rally was not the Governor’s personal platform, and was not convened to stage a premature coronation for his preferred successor.

According to the statement, the grievances in the Nasarawa APC did not start with Senator Al-Makura, but were the result of a deeply controversial governorship primary that many party members consider unfair and which left many feeling marginalised and short-changed.

The statement also challenged the SSG to produce credible, verifiable evidence linking Al-Makura to the incident, saying that if the government has evidence against anyone, it should hand it to the police and allow the law to take its course, rather than maligning opponents through press statements.

On the arrest of seven suspects, the Al-Makura camp said the matter should be allowed to run its legitimate course, with the suspects enjoying presumption of innocence and the police investigating professionally without political interference.

It concluded by urging Governor Sule to own up to his role in creating resentment in the party, stop the politics of exclusion, imposition and blame-shifting, pursue genuine reconciliation, and allow the police to investigate the Lafia incident without manipulation.