Don’t kill Kwankwaso, Secondus  warns, seeks inquest into attack on him; Ganduje condemns clash, calls for investigation

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has demanded immediate explanation from President Muhammadu Buhari and the Kano state Governor, Abdulahi Ganduje on the attempted assassination  of the party’s  Deputy National Chairman, PDP Presidential Campaign Council and former Governor of Kano state, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, who was attacked by hired hoodlums on Thursday.

Prince Secondus said that the party demands an independent inquest into the attempted murder of Senator Kwankwaso and wants Nigerians and the International community to note the dimension of APC’s intolerance to opposing views.

“One wonders if this new violence on our leaders is not coming as a fallout of the shoot at sight directive of the President, and the added threat of the Chief of Army Staff that they intend to obey the directive?

Prince Secondus said that the agenda is to eliminate the former Governor of Kano state and cause havoc enough to stop voting in the state on Saturday since they will not want to witness the massive defeat awaiting them

Reacting, in a statement, to Thursday’s attack on the convoy of Senator Kwankwaso at Kofar Village in Bebeje Local Government Area of Kano state, Prince Secondus said that the former Governor of Kano state and other leaders of PDP have been the target of the ruling APC.

He said that Senator Kwankwaso became marked for elimination aggressively after the unprecedented PDP Presidential rally that clearly showed that the APC state has been taken over by the PDP.

The National Chairman said that several PDP leaders have been marked for arrest and elimination in the states of Jigawa, Katsina, Kano, Rivers, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi and Kogi states.

Prince Secondus charged the Kano state Police command who has confirmed the attack to ensure that the culprits are apprehended and that nothing hinders the voting process in the state.

However, in his reaction, the Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, described the incident as an attack on APC supporters, allegedly by members of the Kwankwasiyya group of the PDP.

The clash was said to have left scores injured while no fewer than 15 vehicles were destroyed.

A statement signed by the state Commissioner of Information, Malam Mohammed Garba, issued to newsmen in Kano, alleged that supporters of the APC were attacked on Thursday while holding a special prayer session for peaceful conduct of the general election.

According to the statement, the attack had left some party members dead and others injured.

“The Kwankwasiyya PDP thugs, under the watchful eyes of their leader Rabiu Kwankwaso, were on a campaign rally in the area, brandishing all sorts of deadly weapons, attacked the prayer session.

“The prayer session was organized by the member representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency, Abdulmumini Jibrin-Kofa for peaceful polls,” it said.

It alleged that the attack was the latest in a series of such incidents by the Kwankwasiyya group in their alleged attempt to breach the peace in the state.

The statement further said that the governor condoled with the bereaved families and prayed for quick recovery for those injured while calling on security agents to fish out the perpetrators and prosecute them.

Reacting to the allegations, spokesperson to the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Sanusi Dawakin-Tofa, accused the State Government of sponsoring the attack on the PDP supporters.

“They are aware that PDP governorship candidate, Abba Kabir-Yusuf and Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso as well as other party supporters were going to the two areas for their final rally.

“But they (APC supporters) decided to hold similar programme in order to cause trouble,” he claimed.