ANPP CONDEMNS GOV ALIYU'S CAMPAIGN RALLY IN EMIR'S PALACE

The choice of the Emir's palace in Agaie for the flag-off of the 2011 re-election campaign by Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has come under severe attack by opposition All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) which described the action as unlawful, objectionable and condemnable.

Gubernatorial candidate of ANPP in the 2007 general election, Mr. David Umaru at the weekend in Minna accused the governor of dragging the royal fathers in the state into the murky waters of politics.

Aliyu yesterday flagged off his campaign for re-election at the palace of the Emir of Agaie, Alhaji Mohammed Kudu Abubakar where he addressed a large crowd of PDP faithful. He was represented on the occasion by his Deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto.

'We find the choice of the emir's palace as objectionable. It was an unlawful assembly and we thought that security agencies should have stopped the illegal assembly. The emirs are fathers to all and should be insulated from politics.'

According to Umaru, the governor should endeavour to spend the remaining one year in office to provide the people with dividends of democracy which he had denied them in the last three years.

'There is widespread poverty everywhere, a responsible and responsive government should have taken time to ameliorate the poverty level in the state rather than going about as if he had already secured even the PDP ticket.

'When you also consider the fact that the election that brought him into office is up till now a subject of litigations, he should exercise caution because there are cases against him in courts.'

Umaru posited that while the PDP government in Abuja had been preaching rule of law and abiding by it, 'Aliyu has continued like the lord of the manor whose actions are unquestionable.'

The ANPP chieftain observed that the governor's action was also tantamount to jumping the gun, pointing out that so far the independent national electoral commission was yet to issue any guideline for the election.

'The INEC chairman had just been named and still awaiting confirmation of the Senate, yet the governor here has commenced campaign as if he is sole candidate of his party.'

'I am a lawyer, I am a decent person. I won't do something because Governor Aliyu has done it, but there will be chaos if Aliyu is not checked, especially this idea of pulling down billboards belonging to the opposition while his own billboards are everywhere. He should be decent,' Umaru stated.