The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the Police Service Commission’s (PSC) appointment of Naja’atu Muhammad, a strong campaigner for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, as the northwest coordinator of the presidential election.
The PSC had on Sunday assigned the former APC director of the Civil Society as one of the coordinators who will supervise conduct of police officers during the general elections.
The spokesman of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani, disclosed in a statement, that the coordinators would be led by the acting chairman of the commission and a retired justice of the Supreme Court, Clara Ogunbiyi.
However, the spokesman of the APC PCC, Festus Keyamo, on Monday, in a statement described the appointment as partisan.
The Minister of State, Labour and Employment, said, “We are deeply shocked and appalled to read a release by the Police Service Commission appointing one of its most partisan members, Naja’atu Bala Muhammad as a NorthWest coordinator of the Presidential Election.
“In that role, she is expected to move about freely supervising the conduct of Police Officers during the elections.
“With the well-documented activities, actions and vitriols of Naja’atu in the last few weeks against our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (after being shown the door out of the APC as a mole) we venture to say that this appointment is not only callous, it is insensitive, openly confrontational and consequently unacceptable by the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
“Coming at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari is constantly assuring and reassuring the world of free, fair and credible elections, it confirms our worst fears that there are functionaries of government that are actively working with the opposition to thwart the avowed commitment of Mr. President.”
He added that, “We need not emphasise that the role given to NAJA’ATU requires an honest and unbiased individual who will discharge the duties diligently and without reproach. The nation will not get that from NAJA’ATU.
“We therefore demand for the immediate withdrawal of the name of NAJA’ATU Bala Muhammad as a coordinator of the Police Service Commission for the NorthWest or any region for that matter.
“She has an inalienable right to continue to campaign for any candidate of her choice and to vote for that candidate, but she cannot be given a garment to wear at this time that is meant only for neutrals.”
Recall the Mohammed, the National Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima APCPCC for Civil Society Organisations, dumped the party in support of the PDP candidate a few weeks ago.
She alleged in various interviews that Tinubu could “not hold a tea cup,’ and had no agenda for the north.
She has since being campaigning for Atiku before her latest appointment.
