Tension as Sokoto holds guber poll today

BY OKEY NDIRIBE & ABDALLAH EL-KUREBE
AMID fears of vio-lence and breakdown of law and order, Sokoto State will today holds its governorship election. Leading contenders in the polls after immediate past governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wammako of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are Alhaji Yusha’u Kebbe of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Engr Abubakar Aliyu Yabo of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Alhaji Garba Ila Gada of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).
To ensure security during the exercise, the police have met with the leadership of the parties and a coalition of election monitors  has deployed 628 trained observers to the 23 Local Councils of the state.
Currently, the Sokoto polity is charged and virtually everyone is apprehensive. The leading political parties such as  the PDP and ANPP have combustive supporters. Offices of both parties have been attacked and vandalized by thugs in recent times. During campaigns and rallies, youths were seen brandishing cutlasses, swords, axes, sticks and all manner of weapons, which are sometimes easily used on opponents. Arrests had been made by the Police but these have not deterred the thugs from unleashing more terror when released.
To stem the tide security agencies – the Police, Department of State Security, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and other para-military agencies have had held  meetings with leaders of political parties in the state but resolutions of such meetings have not yielded dividends.
However, the heads of the various security agencies in the state have assured  that they were committed to the provision of securing during today’s election in the state.

Sultan, Jega, Kukah sue for peace
Worried by the prevalence of political thuggery in Sokoto, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, called on politicians to discourage political thuggery at today’s exercise and henceforth.
Speaking when the Acting Governor, Lawali Zayyana, paid him a courtesy visit, he said:  “The use of thugs at political rallies and campaigns should be discouraged. This does not augur well for the well being of this state and the nation at large. Government and security agencies should work together to ensure peaceful electioneering in this state.”
Also, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, urged people of the state to conduct themselves peacefully during today’s election.
In like manner, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, expressed worries over the issue at a meeting with leaders and candidates of political parties, including Security Chiefs.
628 monitors on ground
To ensure that stakeholders observe rules during the polls, 628 observers have been deployed , according to Co-chairman of Project Swift Count (PSC), Mr Dafe Akpedeye. PSC  is comprised of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Federation of Muslim Women’s  Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and the Catholic  Justice Development Peace Caritas (JDPC).