The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that political thugs with firearms are dispersing the electorate during Saturday’s bye-election.

A statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yusuf Idris Gusau, alleged that, the thugs were seen moving freely in Kaura Namoda town and Kasuwar Daji village after their deployment on Friday evening to various communities armed and kitted with the state CPG uniforms despite the ban by security agencies in the state with a sole motive to threaten, intimidate and possibly wound or kill innocent citizens that will participate in the bye election.

According to him, “This claim is supported by the movement and deployment of the said vagabonds, well armed, to Kaura Namoda local government area, where the bye-election is to take place.

“Over a year ago, we raised a complaint against Governor Dauda Lawal, his government and the PDP using guns through their thugs to harass innocent people in the state, that at one point, some people were killed in the state capital while the trigger-happy thugs were part of a motorcade escorting the Governor to his residence.

“On the Kaura Namoda bye election, the PDP thugs and the vagabonds are moving freely now with guns again, at a point they are not supposed to be part of the conventional security responsible for covering the election.

“The APC has formally written to all security agencies in the state to alert them on the possible crisis this can lead to, especially against members of our party.

“We are bewildered by the fact that the Governor, whom we accused of failing to squarely address insecurity in the state, especially by supporting security agents, is now brandishing firearms through the thugs against citizens for the coming election.

“This also indicates and confirms APC’s alert that the state government is hiding firearms to be used during the 2027 general elections.

“We therefore wish to strongly urge the NSA to investigate this matter as well as find out the source of the firearms, seize them and apply the law against the peddlers”, the statement has urged.