By Edwin Uko, Lafia
The People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ) senatorial candidate for the June 20 bye Election in Nasarawa North of Nasarawa State, Dr. David Emmanuel Ombugadu said that his team have put in place strong measures on ground to counter the alleged plots by the rulling All Progressive Congress (APC) to rig the election by using violence and other means in nine electoral wards in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area, where four of the contestants are from.
Ombugadu made this known in Akwanga on Thursday while responding to reports that the rulling party has finalised plans to rig the election in Nasarawa Eggon where the voting registration strength is said to be much.
He said “You know politicians will always be politician, but our primary assignment is to make sure that everything is tightened, for all I care I will put my people on ground I will do what is expected of me to do constitutionally that the right agents are filtered to do the job to also ensure that we have multiple layers to make sure that such things are averted”
While acknowledging that it is not out of place to lay complains, security agencies should be alive to their responsibilities to avert the some unpleasant occurrence that may trigger security concerns and cause the bridge of peace.
” It is instructive for anyone to lay complains for the security agencies or institutions that are saddled with the responsibility of policing such rigging to also do that, our focus is that we will get our people to do what is expected to do in terms of policing and defending their mandate it is only the people that can avert that when they rise up to the occasion ” he said
He however called on the electorates across Akwanga, Wamba and Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Areas, which makes up the Senatorial district to brace up to the challenge of protecting democracy from been hijacked by people who do not mean well for them.
In as much as we are working with the Intel we should also device means of protecting it, we should also device means of averting it” he added.
On his part, Senatorial Candidate for the 2037 election for the zone for the PDP, Benbella Anthony Madaki, who spoke on why all the candidates of the senatorial bye are all from Nasarawa Eggon, said it is to respect the memories of Senator Godiya Akwashiki, who was from the area.
He explained that the resolved for the PDP to bring the Ombugadu, is based on their gentleman arrangement of rotating political positions amongst the three local government areas of Nasarawa – Eggon, Akwanga and Wamba, which formed what is the Northern Senatorial District of the state.
“That explains why you will see that in Akwanga, nobody came out to contest for by-election, but to support Ombugadu who performed credible well during his eight years at the national assembly,
“Asides, Ombugadu, Danladi Evuluanza and Labaran Maku, can not boast of any project they did for the people of the zone, Ombugadu brought over 800, boreholes, build clinics across the zone and electricity transformers to carter for the lives of people” he stated.
