The Zamfara State Government has placed a temporary ban on all political gatherings, including rallies, in the state with immediate effect.
The Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Broadcast, Media and Public Affairs, Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, told the BBC that the ban was to ensure peace and stability in the state.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reports that the ban was sequel to a political conflict in Maru local government area of the state.
Kaura said, “the government is mourning an incident in Maru local government which claimed lives and led to the burning of some fortune,” adding that the measure was not to suppress or humiliate anyone but to address the concerns of the people.
He said, “security agencies in the state had been directed to crackdown on any politician or group of politicians that fails to comply with these directives”, he added.
Reacting, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected that ban, saying their members were law-abiding and would therefore go about their party gatherings since they were not holding any campaign rallies.
The spokesperson of the APC in the state, Malam Yusuf Idris Gusau, said there was no law that prohibits political gatherings, describing the state government’s decision as laughable.
“There is no law that permits banning of political gatherings. And he didn’t ban political gatherings. It is the APC function held on Saturday in Zamfara that frightened the government, and that’s what prompted them to issue this directive.
“The government can’t stop us from holding political gatherings because our party is a registered national party.
“Our members are law-abiding citizens who will not do anything that will cause tension in the state.” Gusau added.
Zamfara, a northwestern state in Nigeria, has been plagued by insecurity for years, resulting in deaths and displacement of hundreds of people.
