Zulum condemns closure of Borno NNPP office, directs immediate re-opening

AHMED MARI, Maiduguri

Governor Babagana Zulum  of Borno state has condemned  the seal up of the state office of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP) in Maiduguri by the Borno State Urban Development Board and direct the Board to immediately unseal the office describing the act as “wrong timing”.

In a statement signed by his  spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, explained that the Governor became aware of the board’s action Friday and has directed that it should be reversed saying, “no matter the justification, the timing is wrong”.

“The good people of Borno State are well aware that in the last three years, the Borno State Urban Development Board has been carrying out series of reforms which included sealing of some buildings operated by individuals, corporate bodies like banks and even some government institutions which issues contravened laws relating to non compliance with Maiduguri’s town planning procedures.,” the governor stressed.

 Zulum said though the board claimed to have acted in the same regard it acted against other offices, by sealing the NNPP’s headquarters for wrongful conversion of residential area for office,  regards the board’s action as wrongly timed.

The statement added that no matter the justification, the board’s decision is bound to be given political interpretation and which could heat up the polity and cause needless distraction and directed that the board should suspend its own rule on this particular instance bordering on the NNPP.

Zulum believes that all political parties should be free to lawfully operate and citizens should be free to associate with political parties of their choices without hindrances.

He also advised authorities dealing with “issues that could involve political parties to consider the need to invite stakeholders of all existing parties for consultations and to jointly agree on conducts that should align with existing state laws and without undermining the freedom and independence of all political parties to operate in Borno State”

Also reacting , the Borno state Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori said the party has no hand in the  sealing up of the NNPP, state office  and  the arrest of 2023 senatorial candidate (Borno Central), Hon Mohammed Attom in Abbaganaram area of Maiduguri metropolis.

It would be recalled hat, armed policemen stormed the newly refurbished building on Thursday and took over control, a situation that created panic and condemnation.

Dalori a press in a statement he personally signed and  made available to journalists in Maiduguri on Friday expressed shock that the NNPP as an upcoming opposition party will point an accusing finger 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, Dr. 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”, the chairman added.

He described Attom’s claims as childish and promised to  respond to him at an appropriate shen campaigns activities  started.

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