The former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau yesterday said that everything should be done to bring about security of lives and property before any election is held in the three states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno presently suffering from insurgency attacks.
The governors of the three states had issued a joint statement calling for the 2015 general elections to be held in the states just like any other part of the country.
Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, Shekarau said that security should first be guaranteed.
He said: "You see as a democrat I always insist that let there be elections to allow people to decide their fate, but this does not necessarily mean we conduct elections under a volatile situations."
"If there are threats to lives, who are you going to govern, even if you win the election? So it is not safe and I don't see anybody spitting fire on it. The truth is that let the state governors, the federal government and all concerned join hands together and assess the situation, what will the federal government gain or INEC gain if they don't conduct elections in any state?" He queried
"But if it is in the interest of the public the life and security of the people is far more important than any election that you can think of." Shekarau added.
On the coming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally in Kano, he said: "Well it is true the President is paying a visit to Kano and it is going to be on Tuesday, the 15th of April for a grand reception rally. It is basically to celebrate our coming into PDP in the best way we can and also to reassure the Kano citizens that Kano is now fully a PDP environment."
"It is going to be a very grand occasion because if anybody cares to know the political trend in Kano all along ANPP had been in charge. ANPP moved into APC and we had moved the whole of ANPP and largely APC into APC. So it is going to be a great day for all of us and we are waiting for the reception and we are inviting one and all to come and share with us."
According to him, the rally was postponed earlier because it coincided with the annual learning of Quadriyya Movement in Kano, popularly known as Maukidi.
Shekarau, who defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisted that Kano does not belong to APC even with the present governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso being a member of APC.
He said: "So we assure you and I want to say with all sense of humility, I was in APC and I have moved away with my supporters to PDP. As for APC, in Kano, the governor is APC, his government is APC, there will always be pockets of other parties. If you go to Kano, you will discover that every other parties will have its shares. Definitely PDP is on the ground we are in charge in Kano."
On his complaints about the forthcoming local government elections in the state, he said: "Not complaining as such, our complaints were basically to raise an alarm, the State Electoral Commission wanted to short change us, they gave a programme in March,a 14-day programme for the purchase of forms and return of forms, changed the date to April and reduce it to only 48 hours, this is wrong."
"If you are changing the dates, then you must maintain the number of days and fortunately they listened to our protest, they had to open up because they agreed, the chairman agreed they were doing something that was violating the law, so they extended it by another four, five days, infact they are closing today by midnight."
"On whether the election is free and fair, that is not for me to determine here, and I always believe in people's court, if results are declared right from the ballot boxes, people will have the result by the power if one goes to declare any other results, we will challenge it where applicable in the law courts and we see what happens."
"We have conducted two local government elections and I want to say with all sense of responsibility that we have declared results won by opposition parties. I conducted local government elections in 2004 and some four, five local government councils and they were allowed. I conducted election in 2007, and yet, some three four local governments were won by PDP against the wish of so many party faithful and I never dictated and denied any party its own results." He said
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