The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Governorship candidate for the forthcoming 2023 general elections, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki has disclosed that, arbitrary arrests, intimidation of members of the party or destruction Billboards will not deter voters as they have already made up their minds.
He disclosed this while speaking to journalists after the signing of peace accord by members of political parties contesting for elections in the state on Wednesday.
According to him, he has over 6000 Billboards in the state most of which have allegedly been destroyed and replaced with others belonging to other political parties.
He said, “We are already violated, but we don’t have the voice to say it out, because for example now, I had about 6000 billboards,. I doubt much if there is any other contestant, but if you go to the streets of Gombe today, you realised that, none of these is existing.
“And you see another party, they keep taking it away, challenging our supporters and all that. Billboards, posters cannot vote and does not represent the will of the good people of Gombe State. It will not change anything. But, we should come together and practice politics without bitterness.
“I tried to draw the attention of our contestant, let us practice this like a football, we can compete on the poll. Let us do whatever it takes to take advantage of that day, but after that, we can change Jerseys. We can share, we can dine and wine together. There is no better thing like Gombe.
“We should work for the interests of people of Gombe. We should not be used as a medium to create disharmony among our supporters among our citizens. Gombe is far better than anyone of us. So, I continue to do this and continue to pray that, the security agencies, they should make more emphasis on peaceful election.
“Like I told you, peace is what we have always been advocating for. What we need is for the electoral umpire and all other stakeholders to be just and ensure justice. Whoever is Contesting should be responsible.
“Because many things have been happening and you know it. I am calling on especially security agencies. Our supporters are being arbitrarily intimidated or arrested and we can’t not put our posters and billboards, they will be removed and replaced by those of other parties.
“This shows that, there is show of power and intimidation of opposition parties and members. This will not change the minds of an average Gombe citizen on who to vote for. So, using thugs to intimidate the opposition is not good.
Mailantarki also advised politicians against using Gombe State’s youths as political thugs to attack and intimidate their opponents.
He added, “We should empower and help these youths instead of using them in a negative way. We should give them jobs instead of using them against political opponents.
“This is not good for them and it’s is not politics. If we have the chance to say our minds, we will speak about many things done to us which are not good.
“We know the person at the helm of affairs in the state is the Chief Security Officer, but there things which the opposition parties are concerned about and we have voiced our reservations, but nothing has changed”.
He said, the signing of the peace accord is a good move as it will make parties play by the rules and abide by the accord they have signed to ensure a peaceful election.
Mailantarki added, “We have all gathered and signed a peace accord to have a peaceful election in Gombe. This is not different from what my party, NNPP and me have been advocating for at anytime. If you have followed my campaign, my campaign jingles and songs, we are always saying that politics is not a do or die or a war. I always tell my supporters that, there is Gombe State first before APC,before PDP, before NNPP and any other party.
“So, it will not be right to intimidate ourselves or peddle hate speeches against one another. Politics is not a rivalry but a contest. We should take it like a football competition. We are are calling on everyone, our supporters to tell anybody who advised them to take up Cutlasses, Knives or any weapon to take them to his own relatives.
“God has provided you with the right weapon which is your hand that you will usee on the ballot paper to vote whoever you want to vote for.
“We should vote just like at a football match, after the play, we exchange pleasantries and shake hands and everything is over.
We should not because of politics attack or say bad things about anybody or cheat our brothers and sisters. If we have something to say or show to the people to vote for us, we should do that, the people will judge based on that, because they know us.
“They know what each one of us has done before. They know what we have done in and outside politics. That is enough for anybody to showcase himself, not anything else like violence or blackmail using thugs and other means, like tearing up posters and billboards.
“That will not change anything.God has already chosen who will be the next Governor in Gombe State and the people have also made up their minds, therefore, nothing is going to change. So, if we fight among ourselves, it will be a waste of time. What we need to do is to cooperate and play politics in a responsible manner. Gombe State is bigger and more important than any of us”.
The NNPP Governorship candidate expressed confidence that, the party’s presidential candidate, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and all the other candidates will win the elections in the state during all the rounds of elections.
He said, “His chances are clear , you can see alot of people believe he is the best candidate so far. So, we have no doubt that we are going to take the day. Gombe is for NNPP and NNPP will win the day. There is no doubt about that”.
