The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State has told the opposition PDP in the state that, it is over for the party and no amount of desperate tactics will save it.
The state Publicity Secretary of the party, Yusuf Idris Gusau in a statement said, in the present moment of madness in Zamfara PDP, there should be a sane member who could rein them in and be the allying figure who could calm the fraying nerves.
The APC stated that, when a ranking member of the House of Representatives, Suleiman Abubakar Gummi’s joined the fray, it then becomes obvious that the situation is irredeemable and the PDP is doomed and at a dire point of no return.
It added, “The honourable member of the House of Representatives has swelled the number of the PDP’s attack dogs whose targets include the ruling party and the state chief executive, Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle”.
Quoting a press statement he recently signed on behalf of “PDP candidates” titled “On critical national alert” the APC said, Gummi went the “dishonourable” path by throwing decorum to the wind and lunched viral attacks on the person and personality of Governor Matawalle with no iota of respect for his seat as the father of the state.
The APC stated, “In doing so he deployed uncouth, crude and abusive language symptomatic of those low level maniacs unleashed at every opportunity as dogs of war.
“In the said press statement, Gummi went a rigmarole quoting the respected late social crusader, Martins Luther King and dancing around in circle.
“From all his outing and vituperations, the only take away was the supposed arrest on Monday, November 28, of the party’s candidate for Zamfara central senatorial district, Alhaji Ikira Aliyu Bilbis by the police on charges of vandalism, which he claimed were trumped up.
“In trying to elicit public sympathy to himself and co-travelers, he lumped the current issue with the earlier arrest of the Nigeria Union of Journalists chairman in the state but as usual, his effort failed to invoke the emotion and public outcry he had envisaged.
“But let us even give him the benefit of the doubt and interrogate the issues his outing threw up. He has informed the public why Bilbis was arrested, but said the charges were “trumped up”. Really?”
It further expressed surprise at the action of the lawmaker who forgot that his behavior could rob off on the integrity of the lower chamber he represents and taint the reputation of his colleagues in that reputable and respected institution.
The APC added, “He is PDP member in the state after all and their stock in trade is to cause breach of peace in the state.
“How did Gummi who is a lawmaker come about such a position over an issue that is before a court of law? Why is he in a hurry to clear the accused even before the court adjudicate on the matter.
“The police even from Gummi’s statement did the needful by arresting Bilbis. They (police) did not hold him or keep him for long in their cell but charged him to court after their investigation.
“The onus is therefore on the accused to exonerate and clear himself of the allegations”.
According to the APC, the court even went ahead to grant him bail as he testified in his statement.
It added, “So why is it anybody’s fault if the accused failed to meet the bail condition? And because his associate failed to meet the stipulated condition to effect his release, Gummi is now accusing the judge and police of being tools in the hands of Matawalle in his alleged witch hunt of the opposition.
“If a sitting governor is desirous in tackling an opponent who is clearly linked with a crime it would have been easy to clamp such person in police custody and claim that investigation is still ongoing as has been the case everywhere.
“However, in this case, the police did not waste anytime in charging the accused to court where he is expected to defend himself. The court and its presiding judge should be commended for the expressway it granted the accused bail instead of being needlessly vilified like Gummi is doing.
“His allegation that Matawalle was trying to muzzle the main opposition to whittle down their power and influence in the forthcoming elections is laughable because the PDP is not in reckoning and not a threat to APC in anyway.
“He even went ahead to list those he thinks Matawalle will go after including the party’s governorship candidate, Lawal Dauda Dare. Waoo! Is this not absurd? Is Lawal Dare even in contention for the governorship race with all the court cases dangling over his head?
“The so called governorship candidate is still traumatized over his defeat at the federal high court, which nullified the primary that produced him and recently, the Appeal court”.
The party noted that, it is fundamental to note that his ordeals were from his own very party and has nothing to do with Governor Matawalle.
The party added, “So it’s absurd to blame others for PDP’s misfortune and allege that anyone would hunt it’s candidates whose political future are uncertain.
“And resorting to violence as a means to an end like the party and its members have been doing could only heighten the already tensed atmosphere which Matawalle has been working round-the -clock to manage.
“The billboard saga wasn’t the only violent imprints the party has left on its route to 2023, a rally at its governorship candidate’s home had led to lost of Iives even as many were wounded. It’s sad that Gumi left out such important development from his statement”.
