The Sokoto State government has expressed concern over the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sponsoring a campaign of lies to distract and derail the administration of Governor Ahmed Aliyu.
A statement issued by Abubakar Bawa, his Chief Press Secretary, noted that the orchestrated campaign is targeted at hindering the constructive engagement with the good people of Sokoto State through the delivery of good governance by the governor.
Ordinarily, the Chief Press Secretary said that the state government would not have honored PDP with a response, but given the fact that the Governor Aliyu administration is accountable to the people of Sokoto State, who overwhelmingly voted for him, the statement offered this explanation.
According to the statement, “First, the Governor Aliyu government did not award any contract worth N30 billion for a ‘street fence’ in Sokoto State, as maliciously claimed by PDP in its tale of lies against our dear state.”
It also explained that the government has no plans to award any “street fence” contract valued at N30 billion, stating that it exists only in PDP’s imagination. The statement called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the phantom “N30 billion” expenditure, which it described as a mere academic exercise.
The facts, as the statement further explained, concern the ongoing urban redevelopment of the state metropolis, which is one of the focal points of Governor Aliyu’s administration. It clarified that the state government awarded a contract valued at N800 million, which covers the much-needed and necessary wire fencing of selected major roads/highways within the metropolis.
The project, the statement added, was primarily awarded to deter people, especially school children, from running across major roads and getting knocked down by speeding vehicles. It stressed that the Sokoto State capital had recorded preventable deaths from accidents involving vehicles and people running across major roads.
The statement said that the provision of preventive facilities across major roads in the state has led to a reduced rate of accidents involving pedestrians and animals, as road crossings are now restricted to designated points. It pointed out that since the wire fence was erected, there has been a drastic reduction in cases of accidents involving pedestrians and animals along the major roads in the metropolis.
The wire fencing project, the statement observed, is also part of the present administration’s effort to beautify the city, which was previously filled with heaps of refuse and darkness. It noted that the PDP, as the opposition party in Sokoto State, is not happy with the development.
It added that during its eight years in charge of the state, the PDP did not consider saving the lives of the people a project worthy of attention. The statement stressed that in those eight years, the party failed to take any action towards upgrading the urban infrastructure of the state capital.
The state government explained that it is aware that PDP could not have accomplished any of these tasks because it was never present among the people, as it preferred to govern from Abuja.
It noted that this is the basic reason the people of the state overwhelmingly rejected the PDP in the 2023 governorship election and preferred the All Progressives Congress (APC) through Governor Aliyu, who has so far not betrayed the trust of the people of the state.
The statement urged PDP to exert more energy towards revamping its battered image and seek better ways to reposition itself. It has become obvious that malicious lies, aimed at inciting the people against Governor Aliyu, will only hit brick walls.
It called on the good people of Sokoto State, who are already aware of the antics of the State Chapter of the PDP, to disregard all the lies against Governor Aliyu and stand firm with him as he works diligently and accountably to deliver the Sokoto of their dreams and restore their confidence in government.
