Governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Capt Ibrahim Mshelia has knocked Borno State governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Prof Babagana Zulum, for unhealthy utterances ahead of the election.
Zulum is seeking reelection in the Saturday election.
Mshelia, during a press conference yesterday in Abuja lambasted the governor for publicly inciting the citizens to take to violence should the APC candidates lose at the polls while he was campaigning in Biu, Southern Borno.
The LP governorship candidate quoted Zulum whom he said spoke in Hausa Language at the campaign as saying: “During the forthcoming elections, we are voting for governorship, stand up and make sure our votes are high. Let’s also have all the nine seats in the State House of Assembly in Southern Borno. I don’t want any one of them to lose. I am the governor; I have apologized to everyone in this zone. But I will like to tell you something, only God gives power. I don’t have the capability to give power. But I swear, in my capacity, I won’t leave anyone that will insult the traditional leaders to get into the House of Assembly. God gives power but if God gives them power, “Biri Mini, Kare Jini.”
Reacting however, Mshelia said, “I strongly condemn this statement as electoral violence can breed unimaginable consequences and a governor should not be seen to promote election violence.
“I am peace loving and I have been running my campaigns based on real issues and not issuing threats to opposition parties like the governor has done.
“The clandestine agenda of some agents of political instability have perfected plans to turn the forthcoming elections to a battlefield and are just waiting to unleash violence. They think, this is the only way to railroad themselves into victory. They must be stopped.
“We have gathered on good authority that, having received the shock of their lives in the last elections wherein the people expressed their discontent with the lingering shenanigans in governance, through their votes, those who are in government in Borno State, have chosen bloodletting as option to retain power, against the collective resolve of the people for a positive change; which the Labour Party and my candidature represents.”
The LP candidate who expressed shock over the desperation of the sitting governor, called President Muhammadu Buhari, and all the relevant security agencies to ensure the full protection of lives and property in the coming elections and ensure credible election, devoid of manipulations and violence.
