The two leading political parties in Kaduna State,
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Nigeria
Peoples Party (ANPP) are trading allegations of
political thuggery and banditry.
In seperate statements made available to newsmen
in Kaduna yesterday, PDP, through the special adviser
on state security matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Moha-mmed
Kudan, registered its disgust "with the manner
the entou-rage of some gubernatorial candidates
constituted themselves into political nuisance,"
a reference to Governor Makarfi's opp-onent, Alhaji
Sulaimen Hunkuyi who was his commissioner of finance.
The special adviser listed an example to back his
allegations of thuggery against ANPP.
He said on February 27, when ANPP gubernatorial
campaign train arrived Kudan Local Government two
persons were injured in Doka and Kudan.
"The supporters used dangerous local weapons
such as swords to attack and injure the people,"
Mohammed alleged.
He called on all peace-loving politicans in Kaduna
State to refrain from such act.
On its part, ANPP, in a petition to the state commissioners
of police, accused PDP supporters of unwarranted
and unprovoked attacks on its supporters and vehicles
in Kubau Soba, Markarfi and Garwa local governments.
The petition signed by Alhaji Kabir Dabo, the state
legal adviser of the party, described the attacks
as planned and first took place at Kargi in Kubau
Local Gover-nment on March 13.
"On March 17, we faced a similar planned attack
at Gruwa, the PDP supporters were stationed near
the local government secretariat on the highway.
The attack left one of our supporters seriously
inju-red and windscreens of a number of vehicles
shattered," he alleged.
Contacted, the Assistant Commissioner of Police
(OPS), Mr. Femi Ogunbayode, confirmed that the police
were aware of the trading of accusations and allegations
by the two parties.