The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have debunked a statement issued by Kaduna State Government on Friday that 66 persons were killed in Kajuru community.
Earlier, the spokesperson to the State governor, Samuel Aruwan had said security agencies reported the recovery of 66 bodies that were killed in attacks by criminal elements in Kajuru.
But a statement by Abraham Alberah Catoh, the state Publicity Secretary to PDP, said information relating to the happenstance, as narrated by Aruwan was completely inaccurate.
The CAN chairman, Kaduna State chapter, Rev John Joseph Hayap, also described the report as a premeditated attempt aimed at stirring violence in the state for expected ‘gains.’
Calling on the general public to disregard the press statement from the office of Kaduna State Governor, Hayap said if Kaduna State experiences any breach of security before, during and after the general elections, Kaduna State government should be held responsible.
Meanwhile, the former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and CAN have condemned postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, saying the situation has exposed the incompetency of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free and fair election under the present dispensation.
Makarfi, who is the former Caretaker Committee chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lamented the excuses adduced by INEC National Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu for shifting the polls by one week, noting that aside the huge economic cost to the country and other stakeholders, it has also portrayed the nation in bad light before the international community.
He said: “Much earlier on the day of postponement, I had the feelings that the postponement may happen for different reasons I may not want to go into details. One of them is that INEC left it too late to begin to distribute materials.”
The former governor also condemned the crisis that occurred in Kajuru and the casualties recorded some few days to elections in Kaduna State. He pointed out that the timing of Government’s reaction to the unfortunate incident was suspect.
Expressing his disappointment, the state chapter of CAN said INEC’s inability to have control over distribution of materials and issues of logistics, is condemnable and a clear poor management of logistics.
