Gombe LG poll not free, fair, PDP alleges

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has rejected the just concluded local government council election for lack of transparency.
The public relations officer of the party, Abdulkadir Ahmed, stated this at a news conference on Tuesday in Gombe.
Mr Ahmed questioned the credibility of the election in which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the elective positions.
He dismissed the exercise as “immoral and a gross abuse of democratic principles and the Nigerian constitution.”
“The local government election was a mockery of the people’s democratic rights. The exercise lacked transparency and failed to meet democratic standards,” he said.
Mr Ahmed recalled that the PDP boycotted the exercise because the process was neither free nor fair.
He accused the Gombe State Independent Electoral Commission (GOSIEC) of failing to provide a level playing ground for opposition parties and their candidates.
The PDP spokesman alleged that ballot boxes were not provided at polling units during the exercise.
He urged the state government and electoral commission to uphold democratic principles, protect the rights of the citizens, and conduct elections in a transparent, credible and inclusive manner.
Meanwhile, the PDP condemned the expulsion of Gombawa Motors from the Dankwambo Mega Motor Park, describing the action as politically motivated.
Mr Ahmed alleged that the transport company was expelled from operating at the park for exercising its civic rights by identifying with the PDP governorship candidate, Isa Pantami.
He stated, “Members of the transport outfit, as citizens and taxpayers in Gombe State, should not be subjected to political intimidation or denied access to a public facility because of their perceived political affiliation.”
(NAN)
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