Stop Playing Ethnic, Religious Cards, NNPP Tells Gov Sule

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Nasarawa State has accused Governor Abdullahi Sule of resorting to playing ethnic and religious cards ahead of Saturday’s governorship and State Assembly elections in the state.

The party, through the director-general of its campaign council, Barr. Innocent Lagi, said the governor was whipping up sentiment to elicit sympathy for his party ‘s defeat last Saturday.

LEADERSHIP reports that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) failed to deliver its presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and lost all senatorial as well as some House of Representatives seats during the poll.

The governor had on Sunday summoned a meeting with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and traditional institutions, where he urged them to counsel their adherents on the need for peaceful coexistence among all groups in the state.

The appeal was sequel to provocative videos that went viral on the social media promoting religious politics ahead of last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

However, Lagi said the governor was merely using sentiments as an escape route, adding that APC’s dismal outing at last Saturday’s poll had no religious or ethnic undertone.

He said the party’s loss was as a result of the failure on the part of the governor to meet the yearning and aspiration of the people.

“We are not unaware of the ethnic cards Governor Abdullahi Sule is playing. The APC lost the presidential and senatorial seats because of the failure of Sule.

“The loss was not due to religion, tribal or ethnicity. It was because of the failure of Sule as the governor of the state.

“We are calling on the people of the state to understand this and not to reward this failure by allowing him to destabilise us and create division amongst us.”