Kano- The Arewa Citizens’ Action for Good Leadership (ACAGL) and 23 other affiliate organizations in Kano State have announced their decision to withdraw support from the proposed nationwide protest, citing concerns over the potential for violence and instability.

Addressing the press conference, Comrade Saeed Sulaiman Umar, the spokesman for ACAGL, said the severe economic hardship and insecurity facing the country.

“The economic woes and general hardship are prevalent in Nigeria today,” Umar said. “Many hardworking people can no longer fulfill their basic responsibilities to their families.”

Initially, ACAGL actively participated in mobilizing people for the nationwide protest, considering the dire conditions of insecurity, hunger, and starvation.

According to him after careful consideration, they decided to withdraw from the planned protest.

He said the decision is borne out of the desire to prioritize the peace and stability of our Kano State and the northern region,”

He said . “We have witnessed the devastating effects of protests in some countries, where peaceful demonstrations escalated into violent conflicts, resulting in loss of lives and destruction of property.”

Despite their withdrawal, ACAGL said there is the need for urgent government action to address the pressing issues affecting Nigerians.

They called on the Kano State government to provide immediate relief to its citizens and presented several demands to the Federal Government, including tackling insecurity, reducing petrol prices, reversing electricity tariffs, and reducing the cost of governance.

“We believe that the timing of the protest is not in the best interest of the nation and may only serve to exacerbate the existing challenges,” Umar concluded.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said Thursday it can comfortably handle the conduct of local government elections if the responsibility falls on it.

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the commission, made the disclosure when he appeared before the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters on preparations for the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

According to the chairman, INEC has the capacity to handle the local government elections, but that would only be possible pending when the law is amended to permit it to do so.

Prof. Yakubu noted that the Commission had been conducting area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory, which has been devoid of the problems associated with the conduct of local government elections.

He outlined some advantages of INEC handling elections, including the conduct of regular elections as they are due, stability of tenure, and absence of a caretaker committee in the FCT.

The election umpire boss also claimed that there has never been a time when one political party has won all the seats at the elections, as is common in the states.

According to him, if INEC handles the election, it would be better for democracy.

Yakubu, however, said this can only happen if the constitution is amended to take the responsibility from state electoral commissions.

Kano- The All Progressives Congress (APC)  has lost a strong member in Kano as Senator Masaud El-Jibril Doguwa dumped the party.

Doguwa made this announcement through a statement where he spoke on behalf of his colleagues and associates, on Thursday on reasons for dumping the party.

According to the statement, he cited the feelings of underutilization and the party’s implementation of anti-people policies as reasons for their departure from the APC..

He despite their wealth of experience in politics, they were rarely involved in party forums to share their expertise and contribute to the development of the APC.

“In politics, if you fail to engage highly experienced politicians by providing them with political assignments, you are making them politically redundant, and giving them room to struggle and engage themselves elsewhere. This is because highly experienced politicians don’t want to stay idle,’’ the statement said.

He further expressed disappointment with the APC government’s policies, which he believes are harmful to ordinary citizens. “After careful appraisal, I have discovered that some of the policies are anti-people-oriented and do not align with our political ideology.’’

“These policies are causing more harm and concern than good to the ordinary and common citizens of the country.

“From what we have seen happening in APC, we have not seen light in the tunnel where an ordinary man, big or small, will sigh a relief from the burden of life with the APC approach on issues.”

Senator Doguwa revealed that they have been appealed to by friends and leaders to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which they helped establish and develop. “We have taken a bold decision to return to our political base, the PDP, to continue as full-fledged members,” he declared.

He emphasized that their decision was made without malice towards any individual or group, expressing gratitude and seeking God’s blessings.