Party officials differ over conduct of elections in Borno

MAIDUGURI – Political party officials in Borno have expressed mixed feelings about the conduct of elections in the state amid insurgents activities.
Some of the party officials interviewed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri supported the idea of holding the state, while some opposed it.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”8″]
Alhaji Mohammed Mustapha, the Borno Administrative Secretary of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) said that the party was ready for the
polls.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
“We are all ready for the elections; there is no cause for alarm.
“The whole thing is in the hands of the Independent Electoral
Commission (INEC).[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
“If INEC calls us today or tomorrow or anytime, we are set to go.
“I do not see anything hindering the conduct of the polls, since
elections have been conducted in war-torn countries like Afghanistan
or even places like Pakistan without much hitches on many occasions,” Mustapha said.
He said that the prevailing security challenges in the area would not affect
the conduct of the polls.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
“We believe that the Boko Haram insurgency will not in any way affect
a free and fair conduct of the polls.
“We believe that God willing, the elections will be successful, if we
set our minds toward making it a success,” he said.
Alhaji Aminu Gwandu, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) in the state, also said the party was ready for the polls.
“We are ready for the election,” Gwandu said.
Babagana Musa, the Borno chairman of the Progressives Peoples
Alliance (PPA), advised INEC to ensure that the elections were conducted smoothly in the state.
“We are ready to work toward the success of the 2015 elections.
“But INEC must show seriousness by dealing with some of the problems
that might affect the credibility of the polls,” Musa said.
But Alhaji Baba Basharu, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno, said the conduct of the elections in the state was almost impossible.
He said that the prevailing insurgency in the state had created a
situation in which the elections might not hold.
“Everything is in the hand of God, our creator. It is only Him who
knows what is best for us,” Basharu said
However, the INEC Public Affairs Officer in Borno, Mr Tommy Maguin, said that the
commission was ready for the conduct of the elections.
Maguin said that the commission was working on plans to commence the
distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) on Friday in the area,
“all things being equal”.(NAN)