By Ismail Auwal
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Civil Society organisations under the auspices Alliance for Good Governance have demanded the immediate prosecution of the APC chairman arrested in possession of over three hundred (300) permanent voter’s card PVCs in Kano.
The suspect identified as Aminu Ali Shana who is the APC chairman in Yautan Arewa ward, Gabasawa Local Government was arrested on Friday 14th October, 2022 and has been reportedly transferred to the department of criminal investigation (CID) of the state command in Bompai for further investigation.
The offence is contrary to section 21 and 22 subsection 1 (a), (b) and (c) of the electoral act 2022 as amended.
According to a statement issued in Kano and shared with journalists, the chairman of the state chapter of the NNPP, Umar Haruna Doguwa directed the party’s legal team to file a petition against the suspect and his core sponsors.
“I directed our legal advisor to also write to the electoral umpire (INEC) to as a matter of responsibility pursue necessary action on the matter” Doguwa confirmed in the statement
He said the issue of PVC hording has been a source of major concerns in Kano ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“We are naturally vindicated by this arrest, we keep our fingers crossed as we await next steps to be taken by both the Independent National Electoral Commission and Nigeria Police,” the statement reads.
The NNPP said it will pursue this case to a logical conclusion in the interest of protecting democratic principles.
The party chairman applauded the efforts of Kano state police command for ensuring proper investigation into the matter that could lead to further arrests of other suspects.
Doguwa also noted with dismay, the attempts of the ruling APC to downsize the number of votes in forthcoming 2023 elections to shortchange the chances of NNPP in Kano and Nigeria.
