FG plotting to impose emergency rule in Zamfara, says Fayose

Former governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, has accused the federal government of plotting to hide under the killings to impose emergency rule on the state.

Recall that some civil society groups had on Monday asked the federal government to declare state of emergency in the state.

Commenting on the recent protest in the state, they said the destruction of the campaign posters of President Muhammadu Buhari shows “the extent to which people are aggrieved against the efforts so far put in place to contain the problem.”

Those who signed the statement are Jibrin Ibrahim, Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja; Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Zaria; Massoud Omar, Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Zaria; and Saluihu Zubairu Mustapha and Mohammed Nasiru of the department of history, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Reacting to the development, Fayose, who is also the south-west coordinator of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign council, said the alleged plot was in response to the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to allow the All Progressives Congress (APC) to field candidates for the 2019 elections in Zamfara.

The ex-governor accused the government of orchestrating a “selfish, partisan agenda”.

“With the emergency rule, there will only be presidential and national ssembly elections in the state in February next year while governorship and state house of assembly elections will be postponed till May,” he said.

“The federal government should admit its failure and apologise to the people of Zamfara state, who were left at the mercy of armed bandits as using the killings to achieve political goal is not only wicked but inhuman.”

Fayose said the federal government must be reminded that “under the PDP government of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, emergency rule was declared in three states in the north-east without dismantling democratic institutions”.

He also urged Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, Zamfara governor, to return home and stand in defense of the people of his state.

The ex-governor said Yari should not be abroad when there is a spate of killings by armed bandits and high level of insecurity in Zamfara.