The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP of inciting the violence that followed the announcement of a new Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, on Sunday, in an apparent attempt to destabilize the state, and urged the Kano state Attorney-General to prosecute all PDP officials involved in this act of destabilization.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the statement issued by PDP’s publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh congratulating one of the contenders long before the Kano state government announced the new Emir was premeditated and calibrated to incite violence.
It wondered why a ruling party, which has access to Kano or any state government, would rush to the media to congratulate a contender who had not been selected, without even contacting the selecting authority to ensure the veracity of whatever news it may have heard.
”What is so urgent about congratulating the new Emir that could not have waited for a few hours for the appropriate authority to make an official announcement?” APC queried.
The party said when the announcement was eventually made and the contender who had already been congratulated lost out, it is only natural that his supporters would feel shortchanged.
”It is therefore obvious that the PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary went out of their way to stoke the fire of violence in Kano.
”Since we live in a country which is being governed by the rule of law, the best option open to the Kano state government is for the State Attorney-General to immediately initiate criminal proceedings against PDP and its officials for incitement. Whatever explanations they have for their irresponsible and premeditated actions they should reserve for their defence in court ,” APC said.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has said it made an innocent mistake when it issued a congratulatory statement on Sunday, in which it hailed the ‘appointment’ of Mallam Sanusi Ado Bayero, the eldest son of the late Emir, Ado Bayero as the next emir of Kano.
Metuh said in a statement that Mohammed’s statement was inciting and misleading, adding that Mohammed was also blackmailing him and the ruling party.
“We are indeed shocked by this statement and wonder what sort of dirty individual that could be so unprofessional, unprincipled and unethical.
“Indeed, it appears that Lai Mohammed has gone delusional and requires urgent medical attention. Has he become a low life who can go to any extent to score a cheap political point?
“It is public knowledge that we made an innocent mistake but immediately withdrew it and tendered an unreserved apology well before the official announcement of the new emir was made.”
Metuh said that the new Emir, Mallam Sanusi Lamido also tweeted at about 8.59 am that same Sunday that Lamido Ado Bayero had emerged as the new emir, wondering why Mohammed did not ask questions on this.
He also alleged that some electronic and print media organizations ‘broke’ the news of the emergence of Ado Bayero as emir upon which prominent Nigerians issued statements congratulating him.
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