…for the avoidance of doubt, the PDP will not be intimidated or silenced. We demand justice, protection of our members’ rights.
KADUNA, NIGERIA – The iNews Times | Just hours before the commencement of today’s bye-election in Kaduna State, tension has heightened as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) raised alarm over the alleged abduction of its candidate for the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency, Princess Esther Ashivelli Dawaki, alongside 25 others.
The state chairman of the party, Hon. Edward Percy Masha, disclosed the development in a statement issued Saturday morning, accusing Governor Uba Sani and a joint security taskforce operating under the state government of orchestrating the incident.
According to Masha, the operation, codenamed Fushin Kada, stormed the City Den Hotel in Malali where PDP members were lodged, allegedly targeting the Chairman of the PDP Campaign Council, Hussein Ahmed-Kero. When security operatives reportedly failed to locate him, they were said to have whisked away Dawaki and 25 other members of the party.
The PDP condemned what it described as “a brazen act of harassment, intimidation, and political insanity” by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The party further demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all those allegedly being held.
“We are calling on the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the DSS, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Defence Staff, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to step in and halt this egregious abuse of power,” Masha said.
He also urged civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and lovers of democracy to resist what the party termed a blatant assault on democratic rights in Kaduna State.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP will not be intimidated or silenced. We demand justice, protection of our members’ rights, and we call on voters to remain resolute against all attempts to tamper with the process or outcome of this election,” the statement stressed.
Masha further alleged that the APC’s “desperate tactics” reflect the party’s fear of imminent defeat, likening the situation to “the last kick of a dying horse.”
As at the time of filing this report, the Kaduna State Government has yet to issue an official response to the allegations. However, a source suggested that the politician may have been arrested by security operatives rather than abducted, contradicting the PDP’s claim.
