PDP confident about Kaduna LG elections despite APC’s rigging plot – Ashiru

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will participate in the local government elections in Kaduna State, despite fears of malpractice by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP governorship candidate in the state’s 2023 elections, Isah Ashiru, gave the assurance on Friday in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES in Kaduna.

Ruling parties have swept every recent local government elections in Nigeria, prompting the Senate, on Thursday, to declare all the polls as a sham.

But Mr Ashiru is confident the opposition PDP will buck the trend in Kaduna, citing the party’s strength and popularity in the state.

The Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM) has scheduled the elections for 19 October.

Governor Uba Sani has also expressed confidence in the APC winning in all the 23 councils in the state.

Two weeks ago, while presenting the party’s flags to its candidates in Kaduna, Mr Sani spoke about the party’s prospects in the coming elections.

“The APC will win all the local government chairman seats and the over 200 councillor seats, I have no doubt about that,” the governor said.

However, speaking to PREMIUM TIMES in Kaduna on Friday, Mr Ashiru criticised the governor for asserting total victory for the APC before the elections.

“Yes, he said APC will win the election entirely. I don’t agree with that and, as a leader, he shouldn’t have made such an utterance. We believe in democracy and we will participate in the election.

“PDP in Kaduna just concluded its congresses and it was a successful one. We are ready for the council polls and we are mobilising and working very hard to win.

“Kaduna citizens are living witnesses of the APC government in the state and all over the country. They will surely make a decision and that decision will prove us right, which is voting out the APC.”

Mr Ashiru rejected claims that the PDP in the state is weak. He was responding to concerns raised after top members, including former Governor Ramalan Yero, Rabiu Bako, Abubakar Mustapha and others, defected to the APC.

He said the defections do not reflect the party’s strength at the grassroots, saying the PDP has a robust structure and committed members.

Mr Ashiru said the departure of a few individuals cannot affect the party’s chances in the local government elections.

“The PDP in the state will not miss them at all. We are good without them and we will succeed. We are working hard and our people are tired of them.

“They are in the APC now, let us see what impact they will make in the party. We are watching and we are strategising and working very hard to triumph not just in the coming LG elections but in all other elections.”

Politicians getting ready

As the elections draw near, the parties have intensified their campaigns, creating anxiety in the state.

A political analyst in Kaduna, Mustapha Umar, said the elections will be keenly contested, unlike what has been seen in other states.

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Umar said: “The elections are shaping up to be a challenging contest for the APC. Despite the history of states influencing LG elections, several factors are working against the APC in Kaduna. For one, many residents haven’t felt the benefits of APC’s governance, leading to widespread dissatisfaction.

“The ongoing crisis between Governor Sani and his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, is another major hurdle. This internal conflict, combined with the public’s growing affinity for the PDP amid the economic hardships, may swing votes in favour of the opposition,” Mr Umar said.