You will recall that we wrote your Commission last month to draw your attention to the hate speech and incitement to violence contained in Governor Yero’s speech at the 12 January 2015 launch of his campaign. These threats have since been made real; culminating in the incident we are inviting you to investigate.
The Kaduna State All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council has petitioned National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for the second time seeking investigation over violence arising from public utterances of Governor Mukhtar Yero.
The Campaign Council had on 15th January, 2015 petitioned NHRC after the governor was caught making inciting comments during launching of his campaign on 12th January, 2015.
Yero had in the course of the launching threatened violence on APC supporters and also on the person of Malam Nasir el-Rufai, the APC governorship candidate.
The recent petition dated 9th February, 2015 signed by the Director General, Ben S.D. Kure and addressed to the chairman of NHRC read thus:
Dear Sir,
The PDP’s Campaign of Violence and Mayhem in Kaduna
We hereby write to request that your Commission should investigate, as a matter of urgent concern, the violence and mayhem in Rigasa, Bakin Ruwa and Kabala West areas of Kadunaon 02 February 2015. We demand an independent enquiry into the immediate and remote causes of the Aviolence, and reported killings, especially the role played by Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero and his police security detail in the incident.
You will recall that we wrote your Commission last month to draw your attention to the hate speech and incitement to violence contained in Governor Yero’s speech at the 12 January 2015 launch of his campaign. These threats have since been made real; culminating in the incident we are inviting you to investigate.
Disturbed by this vile distortion of what a political contest should be, the APC Kaduna State addressed a press conference in Kaduna on Tuesday, 3 February 2015, to draw attention to the outbreak of violence in the state.We stated clearly our firm belief that Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero and the PDP bear responsibility for the unfolding acts of violence. Permit us to quote from the text of the press conference:
“We make bold to say that responsibility for the mayhem, injuries and the loss of lives and property rest squarely with Mukhtar Ramalan Yero and his PDP government. You will recall that at the launch of his campaign last month, Yero incited his supporters to violence, apart from threatening the property, liberty and freedom of movement of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, our candidate for the governorship of this state. Our response to this threat was to ask our supporters not to respond to provocations. We also wrote to alert the National Human Rights Commission and representatives of the international community to this blatant instance of hate speech.
“In addition, the APC Kaduna State Campaign has taken several steps to discharge its responsibility to preserve peace in Kaduna State so that campaigns and the elections can take place in a competitive but calm atmosphere. Despite the fact that our campaign itinerary had long been concluded, with a zonal rally for Kaduna Central fixed for Kaduna last Saturday, 31 January 2015, we delayed the conclusion of our Zone 2 tour last week once we learnt that the PDP had scheduled a presidential rally for the same day. We followed up the suspension of campaign activities in Kaduna by running massive radio announcements to advise our supporters to stay off the streets during the PDP’s rally to avoid being the victims of the callous shoot-at-sight order given to soldiers and security agents. We also shifted our campaign activities to Zone 3, three days earlier than scheduled, precisely to deny and frustrate the PDP’s plan to unleash violence and blame it on us.
“You can therefore imagine our outrage that Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero yesterday supervised hoodlums and thugs on a rampage against people and properties. It is bad enough that his entourage attacked and destroyed billboards of General Muhammadu Buhari and Malam Nasir El-Rufai in the Bakin Ruwa and Kabala West areas of Kaduna, the state capital. It is worse that residents who challenged this act of wanton vandalisation were attacked and beaten by the thugs. It is worst that Yero was in the motorcade as his henchmen attacked persons and property with a ferocity that claimed lives. Yero’s security detail got in the unfortunate action, shooting at citizens who happened to be in the area.
“The Kaduna State APC has been warning for weeks that the PDP government has chosen a strategy of violence as the best guarantee against their imminent defeat…
“The Kaduna State APC is calling on INEC and the security agencies to firmly stop Yero from upsetting the peace and turning Kaduna into a theatre of war. We are appealing to the sense of honour of security agents and reminding them of their oath of allegiance to Nigeria, not any government or individual.
“Election is a civilised contest and we cannot allow Yero to turn his impending defeat into an inferno for everyone.”
The APC Kaduna State also wishes to bring to your attention the following anti-democratic actions the PDP is planning or already perpetrating:
· Plans to inflict violence on the person, family and property of APC leaders in Kaduna State. We are concerned by reports of plans to arrest our governorship and senatorial candidates, and other pillars of the party in an amplification of the vile strategy that was employed in Ekiti State
· arranging to frame false charges against our stakeholders at the grassroots in order to arraign them and keep them out of circulation before the elections,
· using traditional rulers and religious leaders to incite society against the opposition,
· employing military units and other security forcestAo intimidate the populace and engage in clandestine operations for the PDP
The APC Kaduna State believes that any action that violates human liberty or prejudices the right to freely express preferences in an electoral contest is a vitiation of constitutionally guaranteed rights. We ask your Commission to take steps to protect the residents of Kaduna State against this blatant violation of rights.
Ben Kure
Director-General
APC Kaduna State Campaign Council