The All Progressives Congress has directed its members and supporters in Adamawa State to defy the curfew imposed by the state police command, describing it as unlawful.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Lai Mohammed, said in a statement on Friday that there was no threat to security in the state to warrant the imposition of a curfew.
The APC said the Presidential and National Assembly elections were held without incident or declaration of curfew, wondering what warranted the unlawful curfew declaration.
“Imposing an unlawful curfew with effect from when voting ends on Saturday is suspect and unacceptable. We are therefore asking all our members and supporters to ignore the curfew, come out en masse to vote and also stay back to defend their votes,” the party added.
The Adamawa State Police Command had imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on the state to forestall violence that may trail the governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the state.
The state Commissioner of Police, Gabriel Adaji, said this while briefing newsmen on the preparation of the police for the April 11 elections in Yola on Friday.
The police commissioner said the curfew would run between April 12 and 14 would begin at 6pm and end by 6am.
He said that the measure was to ensure peaceful and orderly conduct of the elect ions.
“After the last presidential and National Assembly elections, we had some nasty and ugly experiences in the state, hence the present measure,” the CP explained
The police boss also banned residents from using tricycles, wheel barrows, local trucks during the curfew. He added that hawking would not also be allowed; stressing that his men would be on ground to enforce the order.
Adaji also commended the people of the state, especially politicians for their peaceful conduct and orderliness during the March 28 polls.
Meanwhile, political parties in the state have rejected the imposition of curfew because “it will coincide with the time collation of election results will be going on.”
The State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Ahmed Lawal, also said that the party did not see reason why curfew should be imposed on the state “if there is peaceful election.”
Also, the Director General of the Campaign Organisation of the People’s Democratic Movement, Sunday Wugira, said that the party could not understand the reason for the curfew.
Corroborating his colleagues, the Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, A.T. Shehu, said the curfew was unwarranted.
Rather than imposing curfew, Shehu said the police should have banned celebrations after the announcement of election results.
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