Kaduna: I Oppose Political Violence — Yero Says

Mukhtar Yero

by Ibrahim Mohammad, Kaduna

Governor of Kaduna state, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero has denied
calling on his supporters to engage in violent confrontation that
might lead to crisis in the state.

He said as an individual he opposed to violence because he didn’t want
blood of ordinary people be shared for no reason.

But urged his supporters to rise up and defend themselves whenever the
opposition attacked and tried to destroy their property.

“Self defense was a duty incumbent upon any human being,” he said
governor Yero spoke in a Hausa Radio phone-in programme monitored at
the weekend in the state.

The remarks which was credited to causes uproar among supporters of
the opposition in the state.

Which was the reason why the governor to appeared on the radio
program to clear some doubts created by his comment.

Yero also, refuted allegations that he was subservient to Vice
President Namadi Sambo and had channeled huge sum of money belonging to
the state to Sambo.

He said such assertions were misleading as the Vice President had
never interfered in his work as governor.

He however, appealed for calm before, during and after the forthcoming
elections.

he described himself as an advocate of peace right from his early
years, it was his prayers that people should conduct themselves
peacefully and be allowed to vote for persons of their choice
without intimidation or force.

He was confident that going by what his administration had achieved
in the provision of roads and rural infrastructure, in sectors like
health, education, water and an enhanced civil service, the people of
Kaduna would unanimously vote for him on Election Day.,

“Whoever Knows me know that I am an advocate of peace and since I
became governor of the state, I have been doing all I could to ensure
that we have peace in the state.

“In fact my love for peaceful coexistence in spite of provocations
could be why some were saying that I am too patient to a fault.

I have never made any provocative statement despite the fact that I’ve
been insulted on facebook and in other places.

Those working with me, I everyday admonish them on the need for peace.

“Now that we are in the peak of politics, and as deputy governor I had
witnessed what happened during the post 2011 election crisis.

I felt I shouldn’t just keep quit and watch a repeat performance of
what happened then.

“He said the remarks made had a political significance as the police
in Kaduna summoned all candidates of political parties where they were
told to be careful with their utterances and desist from acts capable
of disrupting peace in Kaduna state.

“Yero decried the situation whereby with the PDP in control at the
Kaduna state and federal level,yet the party faithful were
always threatened and intimidated.

“Our party members were intimidated,those who openly supported us
were threatened,that they were coming to burn their houses,leadership
should not be so.

“We strongly oppose intimidation and politics of violence.

“Since our party faithful are afraid and cannot express their views,it
is incumbent upon us to ginger them, to raise their morale

“These major political parties were not formed based on either Islam
or Christianity, so people should be allowed to associate with any of
the parties they so desire,” he said.