Zamfara PDP sues govt agency over demolition mark on secretariat

By ADENIYI SALAUDEEN

The Zamfara State chapter of the People Democratic Party (PDP) says it has instituted a legal suit against the Zamfara State Urban and Regional Planning Board (ZUREP) for marking its state’s secretariat in Gusau for demolition.

Colonel Bala Mande (rtd), who is the State Caretaker Chairman of the PDP, disclosed this while briefing reporters on Tuesday at the end of the party’s weekly executive meeting at the secretariat in the state capital.

According to him, the state government is making an attempt to provoke the party by marking its secretariat for demolition, but the PDP members are law-abiding citizens.

“Attempts have been made to harass us and keep us away from our office,” he said. “We are not going to succumb to any intimidation.”

Rather than resorting to violence, Mande explained that they have decided to approach the court to seek redress over the matter.

He described the attempts to harass and intimidate the PDP in Zamfara to keep away from its secretariat as unjustifiable legally, socially, and democratically, and hold no water.

The PDP caretaker chairman stated that the party would continue to hold political activities at the secretariat and not succumb to any form of harassment or intimidation.

He explained that PDP, as one of the major political parties in the state, has the right to establish its secretariat in Gusau and in any part of Zamfara.

Mande alleged that it was the third time the state government would deprive the party the right to have a state secretariat, claiming this happened immediately the All Progressives Congress (APC) became the ruling party in the state.

The PDP, according to him, used N10 million to secure its headquarters and the state government has marked ‘cancel’ on the building despite furnishing ZUREP with a letter through its lawyer.

Mande, therefore, called on all members and supporters of the PDP to continue to remain law-abiding and refrain from taking the law into their hands.

He assured them that the leadership of the party would continue to take necessary legal measures to protect them and the secretariat. (Channels TV)