The Borno State Chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has distance itself from the sealing up of a residential building that was alleged to have been illegally converted to a Secretariat by the acclaimed leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and its 2023 senatorial candidate (Borno central), Hon Mohammed Attom in Abbaganaram area of Maiduguri metropolis.
Recall that, armed policemen stormed the newly refurbished building on Thursday and took over control, a situation that even the Police Commissioner, CP Abdu Umar told Journalists that, his men were deployed to the building to halt breakdown of law and order by aggrieved residents who felt the new Secretariat was constituting nuisance to the general public.
In a press statement signed by the Chairman of the APC in Borno state, Hon Ali Bukar Dalori, a copy which was made available to our Correspondent on Friday expressed shock that the NNPP as an upcoming opposition party will point an accusing fingers on the APC or Governor Babagana Zulum over the controversy between officials of Borno Urban Development Board (BUDB) and the owner of the property, Hon Attom.
“Our attention has been drawn to an unsubstantiated claims that Borno APC and His Excellency, Governor Babagana Zulum were responsible for the sealing up of NNPP Secretariat in Maiduguri as alleged.
“As Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Committee, IPAC, the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria, I want to emphatically state that, the APC in Borno has high respect for all political parties in the state, and by extension the National Leader of the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso who was our former card carrying member before jumping out of the ship.
“To put the record straight, and as the law -abiding members of our great party are concern, we are not part of what happened between NNPP, officials of BUDB, the police and aggrieved residents of Abbaganaram where the sealed office is located.
“The Borno APC and Governor Zulum are not aware of their travails. I reiterate, as a law -abiding ruling party in the state, our party, the APC has never laid siege on even the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP’s property, talk less of an upcoming party, the NNPP.
“Secondly, from investigation available to our party, what transpired yesterday (Thursday), the Governor, Babagana Zulum neither the APC was aware of the development.
“This development was directly between an agency of government saddled with the responsibility of regulating and controlling buildings. Now, the NNPP Secretariat is located within the heart of the Maiduguri metropolis and its environs. It was a residential house prior to its forceful conversion and repainting it to NNPP office.
“As a result of illegally converting the said building into a party office, hoodlums and political thugs started hibernating in that place, and started smoking Indian helms and other sort of drugs thereby creating nuisance to the residents in that area. This prompted residents to petition the Borno Urban Development Board, BUDB.
“The BUDB, as an agency swung into action, and realizes that such property was a residential building, which brought about their fracas.
“Likewise, on the other building Hon. Attom was talking about, and with information at our Disposal revealed that, an approval was given to him to construct a 3-storey building, in violation of that approval, he constructed 5-storey building. Beside, several notices were sent to him, but he felt to acknowledge receipt or show up.
“So, that was what prompted Agency of Government to seal his office and then stop- work notice was sent to him.
“Therefore, the APC has not played any role, the fracas is between Hon. Attom and Agency of Government, not even the Governor of Borno or the APC behind it.
“On this note, the general public should be much aware that the APC, since taking over of office, has never been a party to enforce impunity. The candidates of the NNPP including its gubernatorial candidate, Dr Umar Alkali were just trying to get cheap popularity and sympathy from the law-abiding citizens of Borno, as they are crying more than the bereaved.
“If he (Attom) has alluded to the fact that, it was because of the coming of Rabiu Kwankwaso to Maiduguri, the man in question is not coming here today, Kwankwaso is billed to be in Maisuguri on 27th of this month, so what is the correlation between today and the date slated for the visit?.
“So, Attom’s claims is childish and we will respond to him at an appropriate time when campaigns started, as we have much respect to the 2022 Electoral Act and guidelines
Credit: THE VANGUARD.
