The Democracy Watch Initiative (DWI) has defended the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, over his visit to the Emir of Katsina, dismissing reports that the monarch rebuked the delegation over insecurity and the state of the economy as unverified.
The group said the account, attributed to Comrade Ibrahim Muhammad Sani, distorted the purpose of the visit and misrepresented the Federal Government’s efforts to tackle insecurity in Katsina State.
In a statement signed by its Deputy National Chairman, Hon. Musa Adam, DWI said Yari led a delegation of political leaders on visits to the palaces of the emirs of Gwandu, Katsina, Daura and Zaria, where they received prayers for peace, national unity and the success of Nigeria’s democratic process.
According to the group, Yari told the traditional rulers that he had come to seek their prayers, blessings and counsel, describing the engagements as consultations consistent with the respect accorded traditional institutions in Nigerian public life.
The group faulted the account alleging that the Emir of Katsina delivered what it described as “four bitter truths” to the delegation, arguing that the report relied on an unnamed source and lacked verifiable evidence.
The statement said, “However, the article relies on an unnamed “someone inside palace” to fabricate, polish and deodorize lies to spew deceits and propaganda to score political points. It offers no recording; no named witness and no credible news outlet has reported the remarks.”
The group maintained that allegations of such remarks by a respected traditional ruler should not be accepted without evidence, particularly when palace visits of that nature are usually attended by several people and covered by journalists.
It also rejected suggestions that the APC was divided in Katsina State, citing the presence of former governors Aminu Bello Masari and Ibrahim Shema in the delegation.
DWI further noted that Governor Dikko Radda accompanied Yari to the Emir of Daura to seek the emirate’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, describing the engagements as evidence of cooperation among party leaders.
On insecurity, the group dismissed claims that the Federal Government had done nothing to address banditry in Katsina, saying the administration was working with the state government to confront the threat.
It said Tinubu had approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards for Katsina State, who would be trained and equipped to work alongside the military, police, Department of State Services and local vigilantes.
According to DWI, the forest guards are expected to strengthen security operations, particularly in forested and remote areas allegedly used as hideouts by criminal gangs.
The statement also said Radda had commended the Federal Government for increasing the deployment of military personnel, police officers and DSS operatives to the state.
While acknowledging that more needed to be done, DWI described insecurity as a national challenge requiring collective action by all levels of government and relevant security agencies.
On the economy, the organisation accused critics of presenting a selective account of economic conditions, citing National Bureau of Statistics figures which, according to the statement, showed inflation easing to 14.63 per cent in September from 15.39 per cent in August.
It also referred to the Federal Government’s announcement of a 30-day petrol discount at NNPC retail stations, saying commercial transport operators were given priority under the initiative.
DWI argued that the criticism of the delegation’s visit as an example of selfish politics misunderstood the purpose of consultations with traditional rulers ahead of the campaign season.
It said such engagements were intended to build consensus and obtain counsel from traditional institutions, adding that political consultations did not replace the responsibility of government to deliver on its promises.
The organisation urged the media and the public to exercise caution when dealing with allegations about traditional rulers that were based on anonymous sources.
It challenged Sani to provide verifiable evidence to substantiate the claims or retract them.
“We challenge the writer to provide evidence-based and verifiable proofs of the claims or he should simple retract such claims otherwise,” the statement said.
