Kano commissioner speaks on destruction of election materials

The Kano State Commissioner for Local Government, Alhaji Murtala Sule Garo, has accused the police of manipulating facts over the destruction of election materials at Nassarawa Local Government Area collation centre, saying “I never tore any result sheet.” The alleged tearing of result sheet at the collation centre, the only one remaining out all 44 local government areas of Kano State, necessitated the declaration of the governorship election in the state as inconclusive.

Addressing a press conference, yesterday, Garo, a chieftain of the APC in the state, said the result was torn by two members of the PDP, Alhaji Faruk Lawal and Alhaji Nasiru Sule Garo, respectively, but they were not arrested by the police for reasons best known to them.

Garo added that the electoral officer in-charge of Nasarawa Local Government had testified that the two politicians were the ones that led some thugs and tore the result sheet of Gama ward. The commissioner explained that the two PDP members went to the collation centre and tore the result sheet even before he, along with, the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and chairman of Nassarawa Local Government Area, Alhaji Lamin Sani, arrived at the scene. “If it is true that we tore it, where did they get the sheet and announced the results later. “Kwankwaso and some of his people, including his orderly, escorted us to the police command. And if the police deny arresting the deputy governor, why did they put him behind the counter?” he asked.

On its part, the police command, through its spokesman, DSP Haruna Abdullahi, has denied arresting the deputy governor, saying they only rescued him from being lynched by a mob.

DSP Abdullahi explained that as a law enforcement agency, the police would not fold its arms to allow the deputy governor to be attacked by some angry youths.