Elections: Yero Denied Calling For Violence In Kaduna

BY Uangbaoje Alex

Kaduna

Following insinuations that Kaduna state Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero had recently called on his supporters to engage whoever engage them in violence, the governor said his statement was misunderstood, saying, under no circumstance will he ever call for violence either in the build up to the elections, during or after the elections.

The governor reiterated that he only urged his supporters to rise up and defend themselves whenever the opposition attacked and tried to destroy their property, adding that self defense was a duty incumbent upon any human being.

The governor spoke in a Hausa Radio phone-in programme Hannu Da yawa’ on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) monitored in Kaduna by LEADERSHIP SUNDAY also refuted allegations that he was subservient to Vice President Namadi Sambo and had channeled huge sum of money belonging to the state to Sambo, saying that such assertions were misleading as the Vice President had never interfered in his work as governor.

He however, appealed for calm before, during and after the forthcoming elections, adding that as an advocate of peace right from his early years, it was his prayers that people should conduct themselves peacefully and be allowed to vote for persons of their choice without intimidation or force.

He was confident that going by what his administration had achieved in the provision of roads and rural infrastructure, in sectors like health, education, water and an enhanced civil service, the people of Kaduna would unanimously vote for him on the election day.

He said although the remarks he made elicited reactions from his supporters and opponents,”whoever Knows me know that I am an advocate of peace and since I became governor of the state, I have been doing all I could to ensure that we have peace in the state.”

“In fact my love for peaceful coexistence in spite of provocations could be why some were saying that I am too patient to a fault. I have never made any provocative statement, despite the fact that I’ve been insulted on facebook and in other places. Those working with me, I admonish them on the need for peace. “

“Now that we are in the peak of politics, and as deputy governor I had witnessed what happened during the post 2011 election crisis, I felt I shouldn’t just keep quit and watch a repeat performance of what happened then.”