Katsina LG Poll: Residents defy order on restriction of movement

Residents of Katsina and its environs on Saturday conducted their normal economic activities in spite of the restriction on movements imposed for the conduct of the state local government elections.

The state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Muhammad Hurdi, had on Friday announced that the restriction would take effect from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the election.

NAN reports that the residents went about their normal activities before and after the commencement of the polls in Batagarawa, Kurfi and Dutsin-ma local government areas.

It was observed that people kept moving in their cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and even donkeys conducting their usual activities.

Security was relaxed in Katsina, Batagarawa and Kurfi with no visible presence of security personnel there.

The office of the State Independent Electoral Commission (KTSIEC), however, revealed that there was a tight security at the premises with armed soldiers, police and Civil Defence operatives guarding the building.

An official of the commission, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that all election materials had already been moved to local government headquarters for distribution to the various polling centres.

The official, however, said that the election observers were just being issued accredited for their tags and other documents for the exercise.

Six political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Mega Party (MP) and the Action Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) fielded candidates for the election.

Some of the opposition parties in the state, mainly the All Progressives Congress (APC), the National Conscience Party (NCP) and the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), are not partaking in the poll.

The APC and the NCP have gone to court, seeking an injunction to stop the election.