During Saturday’s by-election for the Zamfara State Assembly in Kaura Namoda South Constituency, the All Progressives Congress (APC) praised the strong voter turnout and smooth conduct at polling units.
Speaking at the Kasuwar-Daji Primary School polling station, Yusuf Idris, the APC’s state Publicity Secretary, described the turnout as “large and commendable.”
“We have been here since morning, we have been monitoring the election. The process is peaceful,” he said.
Idris also commended INEC officials for arriving early and conducting themselves responsibly and noted that security personnel were present ahead of schedule to maintain law and order.
Despite the positive tone, Idris expressed concerns about interference from the Community Protection Guard (CPG), a state-run security outfit.
“There were pockets of interference in the process by personnel of the Community Protection Guard, a Zamfara Government‑owned security outfit,” he stated.
“The police command in the state has banned local security outfits such as CPG from participating in election activities. I see no reason why CPG personnel should be allowed around the election venue. We urge security agencies to take note of this to avoid any disruption of the process.”
At the Magaji Polling Unit in Maguru Town, Malam Jafaru‑Kaura, Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, offered a contrasting view, denying any involvement of CPG operatives.
“We have been here since morning, we have no record of any violence, and the election is moving on smoothly.”
“Since we came here, I have not seen any CPG personnel. The state government did not deploy any CPG personnel to the polling units; that allegation is baseless.”
