Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council in Katsina State has dismissed as fake and untrue, the purported press release which claimed that the opposition party’s gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Yakubu Lado, had withdrawn from the race.
The campaign council, in a statement issued by the chairman of its media and publicity committee, Kabir Yusuf Yar’adua, accused the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) of allegedly colluding with the elements behind the said letter of withdrawal.
“The said press release was a clear desperation of the ruling party (APC) to discredit the PDP Gubernatorial Candidate, who is by the day gaining popularity from the electorate,” the council fumed.
It ruled out any possibility that the fake press release emanated from the director of the PDP campaign council, Dr. Mustapha Inuwa, arguing that, unknown to the unscrupulous elements, the party and the council use different letterheads.
“The Director Campaign to Senator Yakubu Lado, Dr. Mustapha, has never endorsed any letter carrying letter paper of the PDP. The Campaign Council has its letter headed paper which it normally signs its releases,” the campaign spokesman insisted.
He also dismissed the allegation that PDP planned to import thugs from neighbouring states to disrupt forthcoming polls as “another blatant lie in their (archrivals) desperation to discredit Senator Yakubu Lado and PDP.
Arguing that Lado is very much in the governorship race, Yar’adua said: “Only this evening, Senator Yakubu Lado received hundreds of Labour Party loyalists who intend to throw their weight behind him in the (postponed) March 11 gubernatorial election; another indication that he is very much in the race.
“The PDP gubernatorial candidate has also received academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions in Katsina State who also pledged to support his candidature.”
For him, people of the state should disregard the fake press release and the ruling party should desist from issuing such releases in the interest of peace.
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