KATSINA GUBER: OUR HANDS WERE TIED - CPC, MASARI'S RUNNING MATE

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) running mate in the April 26 governorship election in Katsina State, Ahmed Usman El-Marzuq, has revealed that the restriction of the movement of opposition leaders brought down the party at the poll. Marzuq, running mate to Aminu Bello Masari, governorship candidate of the CPC, told the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Katsina why the CPC lost out in the governorship election.

He alleged that the party was undermined by the state Governor, Ibrahim Shema, who was also the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer in the election, when he (Shema) imposed curfew on the entire state after the pockets of post-presidential poll violence in the state were quickly brought under control. He said the action was a grand ploy to curtail the movement of opposition leaders and give PDP top shots unrestricted visit to potential voters and movement of election materials.

The CPC stalwart, who tendered a copy of the 'curfew pass' allegedly issued to only PDP big shots during the election, said the action granted the ruling party's leaders and top public servants, whom he accused of supporting the PDP, the privilege of taking delivery of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) materials and taking control of the collation of election materials.

'The CPC chieftains without the curfew pass were like orphans who hurried home before the curfew commences,' Marzuq's counsel, James Ocholi, SAN, who led him in evidence under re-examination interjected.

The lead counsel to the state governor and the party, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), failed to stop the tribunal from admitting the curfew pass as exhibit.

Chief Olanikun's ground of objection was that the curfew pass had no date or names of the signatories to it, adding that, 'it has no utility value.' The objection was, however, overruled by the three-man panel led by Justice Florence Jombo-Of, who upheld the admissibility of the document.

Marzuq, who adopted his June 11 witness statement on oath which formed part of the petition of Masari challenging the victory of Governor Shema, maintained that the election was free and fair.