The Chairman of the Adamawa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Shehu Tahir, has announced that the party will challenge the Ganye state constituency by-election conducted last Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in court.
Speaking exclusively with Punch over the phone on Sunday, Tahir claimed that Assistant Inspector General Taiwo Adeleke, who was in command of security operatives in Adamawa state, created a cover for the All Progressive Congress to alter election results.
“The national vice chairman of APC Northeast, Mustapha Salisu, was caught with election materials in his vehicle in the presence of the AIG, and he allowed him to go about freely without arresting him,” he said.
“When I called the AIG, Adeleke, in the night and drew his attention to the incident, he said that Salisu did not use the election materials, meaning he was aware of the manipulation deal.
“What I want AIG Adeleke to know is that former IGs Balogun, Abacha, Buhari, and others are not alive. Whatever they accumulated fraudulently, they will face God on the last day, and the public wealth they cornered will become a problem to their families,” he said.
Tahir stated that if the Ganye bye-election is not corrected by a court of competent jurisdiction, democracy will expire in 2027.
“If AIG is heading the security team for the state constituency bye-election, then the Inspector General of Police should head the National Assembly elections. It means we need 109 IGs, so where is the APC government taking the country to?” he asked.
In response to the claims, Adamawa State Police Command spokesman SP Suleiman Nguroje stated that a box containing the INEC name was discovered in Salisu’s truck.
“Yes, PDP complained that Salisu was in possession of election materials. A box with the INEC name was found in his car, but after investigation, an INEC official said that it is not their box, he said.
In his remarks, Adamawa State APC spokesman Mohammed Abdullahi praised INEC for conducting the by-election in a free and fair manner.
“The by-election was keenly contested. No party was a pushover, but APC came out victorious,” he stated.
During the by-election, Salisu and other prominent APC officials stayed at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s large private mansion in Ganye.
