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Tag: Kola Ologbondiyan

  • PDP accuses APC of instigating violence in Taraba, others

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plots to unleash mayhem and get elections stalemated and postponed in some strategic states across the federation.

    Specifically, the main opposition party fingered the governorship candidate of the APC in Taraba State, Sani Abubakar Danladi to be instigating violence in the state ahead of the Mach 2 governorship election.

    At a media briefing in Abuja on Saturday, spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said it’s an incontrovertible fact, known to all, that Taraba state is a long established stronghold of the PDP.

    According to him, Governor Darius Ishaku who was elected on the platform of the PDP has an undiluted backing of overwhelming majority of the electorate across the state, due to his “sterling performance” in office.

    The party said the APC governorship candidate’s intransigence was borne out of frustration of rejection and has hatched plots to ambush and truncate the electoral process in the state, not minding the human and material damage such action portends.

    The PDP said it has full information of how the APC is working with enemies of Taraba to inject confusion and escalate insecurity in the state.

    This, according to the party, is to pave the way for the governorship election to be deferred, to enable the federal authorities and security agencies have the opportunity to perpetrate the type of massive rigging that took place in the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections in 2018.

    Ologbondiyan said, “The APC governorship candidate, who is also personally well reputed for acts that contravene free and fair elections, has been boasting that he has the backing of the Federal Government and some godfathers in Abuja, who have no stake in the peace, unity and development of Taraba state in this ignoble project.

    Read Also: PDP dares Buhari over threats to arrest Atiku

    “On Thursday January 17, 2019, the APC, hiding under the guise of campaign unleashed mayhem on Wukari, a major town in Taraba state. Right from Gindin Dorowa, about 40 kilometers to Wukari City, thugs recruited by the APC governorship candidate, went on shooting spree, destroying PDP billboards all the way to Wukari.

    “From the Wukari Yam market, APC thugs continued shooting their way into the town as if they were on a mission to conquer the town, while destroying PDP campaign materials including billboards, posters.

    “The shooting and unbridling of mayhem continued until they arrived to the city center and close to the Aku Uka Palace where another political party was also holding a rally, just as they did in Karim on December 26, 2018 during which they prevented the PDP senatorial and House of Representatives candidates from campaigning.

    “It is important to note that pandemonium broke out when, in the course of the shooting in Wukari, a member of the PDP was killed. At this point a crowd in sympathy to the victim rushed to the scene; panic took over, a vehicle carrying some APC thugs tried to beat a retreat and in the process crashed into another vehicle and caught fire.

    “Other vehicles, which wanted to rush out of the scene got trapped and were torched from the fire spreading from the already burning vehicle.

    “We invite Nigerians to note that the grand plan by Sani Danladi and the APC is to cause confusion during the campaigns since they have no chance of winning the March 2, election”.

    The PDP noted that it was for this sinister reason that the APC governorship candidate has refused to sign the peace accord, which was initiated by the Taraba state police command and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), toward ensuring peaceful campaigns and election.

    The party further observed that the APC in Taraba state has always been known with political thuggery, for which even other governorship aspirants in the APC had openly accused the party.

    “The PDP wants the APC, its governorship candidate in Taraba state, Sani Danladi and their godfathers in Abuja, to note that the people of Taraba state will not surrender their freedom and rights to the APC.

    “Let it be stressed that Taraba state as a stronghold of the PDP will never, in any way whatsoever, succumb to the machination of the APC as the people are ready and fully alert to confront and resist the APC and its candidate, with all the means and energy necessary and available in the defence of their mandate which they have freely given to the PDP.

    “The PDP insists that the governorship election in Taraba and indeed all states of the Federation scheduled for March 2, 2019 will hold on the fixed date. In the same vein, the PDP and the people of Taraba state will never accept any result that does not reflect the reality already expressed by the people.

    “The PDP therefore urges the National Peace Committee to note the infractions by the APC in Taraba state and speak out in the interest of peace, particularly given the security situation in the North East, especially now that Nigerians know who to hold responsible, should there be a break down of law and order in the state.

    “Finally, the PDP charges President Buhari and the APC leadership to counsel their governorship candidate in Taraba state, as well as rein-in their thugs, as there is no way they can have their way in Taraba state. Any move to undermine the resolve of the people, might come with very dire consequences”, the party said.

     

  • PDP disputes Osinbajo’s claim on Onnoghen’s arraignment

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has disputed claims by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that President Muhammadu Buhari was not aware of the plan to arraign the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.

    Justice Onnoghen was arraigned before the Justice Danladi Umar led Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday on charges of asset declaration infractions.

    Speaking on the matter on Wednesday, Osinbajo said Buhari only got to know about plans to arraign the CJN on Saturday.

    In a statement Wednesday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party accused the Vice President of being economical with the truth.

    The party told Osinbajo that Nigerians are aware that there is no way such high level decision, like the arraignment of the Chief Justice of Nigeria in a court, would be taken without the awareness, input and clearance of Mr. President.

    Rejecting Osinbajo’s claims that the Federal Government was saddened by the development, the PDP challenged the Vice President to explain why Mr. President neither stopped the arraignment on Monday nor said a word on the matter since then.

    The PDP however said, if the avowal by the Vice President was true, then it confirmed the assertion that President Buhari is not in charge of governance but has outsourced the responsibilities of his office to unelected individuals, due to his incompetence.

    The party said: “Vice President Osinbajo’s assertion has also confirmed the claims by our First Lady, Aisha Buhari that a cabal has taken over the control of the Presidency, for which she forcefully called on Nigerians to take back their country.

    “The PDP notes the Buhari Presidency is only trying to sway public opinion on the matter following the outrage by Nigerians against the arraignment of the CJN.

    “The party urges all lovers of democracy and rule of law to continue to be on their guard in the defence of our nation against anti-democratic tendencies of the Buhari administration, particularly the clamp down on democratic institutions in our country”.

     

  • Peace Accord: PDP is afraid of defeat

    The Forward with Buhari, an Independent Presidential Campaign Organisation for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is afraid of its imminent defeat in the February 16, Presidential election, hence its threat to pull out of the peace accord, entered into by the  various political parties, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
    The organisation in a statement made available to media by its National Secretary and Human Rights Lawyer, Dr Kayode Ajulo said PDP’s threat to pull out of the peace accord it signed with the National Peace Committee alongside other registered political parties, clearly shows that the handwriting is now so clear to the PDP, and the only option left for the party, in its desperation to return to power in the country, is to unleash violence, hence, its threat to boycott the peace accord.
    Recall that the PDP had yesterday, through its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, threatened to pull out of the peace accord over comments made by Kaduna Governor Nasir el’Rufai that foreigners who interfere in the forthcoming elections would leave the country in body bags.
    Ajulo said the nature of the PDP’s response clearly shows that neither the party nor its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar is committed to a peaceful election in the country, but only signed the accord under pretence and false patriotism. This statement is after they have realized that 30 states including their candidate’s state are a no go area and so they want to pull out of the peace accord which will introduce violence. The Forward With Buhari Group urges PDP to allow peace to reign and not fuel crisis. “A violence free election is what we need and which we will continue to work towards,” Ajulo said.

    Read Also:PDP planning to malign Abdulrazak, says forum

    He said further that irrespective of the disposition of the PDP towards fostering crisis come February 16, Nigerians are ready and they shall fully participate in the presidential and National Assembly elections, which will surely be held peacefully and creditably to the disappointment of the PDP.
    He further urged the teeming supporters of President Buhari not to relent in these last few days to reach out and be ready to protect their votes.
    “PDP has realised that the endorsement by some groups with the corresponding response that negates it by Nigerians shows that they can’t win as most of the said organisations are not masses based, but rather operate in isolation of the group they lay claim to represent. This informs their being jittery,” Ajulo maintained.

  • Elections: INEC not into ‘rigging business’

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to distance itself from an alleged plot to compromise the Electoral Guidelines and pave the way for the alteration of the forthcoming general elections results.

    The Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Kola Ologbondiyan, gave the advice at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Ologbondiyan alleged that Nigerians were already aware that the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, was under pressure to drop the display of results at the polling units as well as the electronic transmission of polled figures to INEC server from its guidelines.

    Read Also: INEC in the last three years

    He said that the display of results at the polling units ensured that results posted at all levels remained those originally announced at the various polling units, while the electronic transmission to INEC server ensured that the results from the polling centres were not tampered with.

    “Prof. Yakubu must not succumb to the pressure of the Buhari Presidency, because doing so will definitely set him on a collision course with Nigerians,’’ he said

    However, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, dismissed the allegations and urged the PDP to provide the evidence in its possession to prove them.

    “Otherwise, the PDP should cure itself of this recurring hallucination which I am sure Nigerians no longer buy. Certainly, INEC is not into the rigging business,’’ he said.

  • PDP faults Buhari on claims to food security

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO), has described faulted claims by President Muhammadu Buhari, that the nation has achieved food security and a secured country under his administration.

    President Buhari spoke on Friday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital at the flag-off of his 2019 presidential re-election campaign.

    A statement by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the President’s claim on food security was startling.

    The statement said, “Our citizens were further startled when President Buhari claimed that he has achieved food security when in actual fact there is hunger and starvation everywhere.

    “This statement not only confirms the Buhari Presidency’s proclivity for false claim but also shows that Mr. President is completely insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.

    “Nigerians were alarmed when Mr. President claimed that the nation was secure under his rule, when there are killings and daily bloodletting in various parts of our country; when insurgents who had been pushed to the fringes of the North East by the PDP administration, leading to  the conduct of elections in all the local governments in the country, have under the Buhari administration spread to other states of the north.

    “While Mr. President was making his claims, insurgents had taken Baga; there are killings going on in Zamfara and our soldiers and policemen are being killed by terrorists, due to the neglect of his administration.

    Read Also: Buhari arrives Uyo for rally

    “President Buhari further embarrassed his office on his claims of commitment towards the war against corruption when he was surrounded at the podium, by individuals who are facing corruption allegations, including the Director General of his Campaign, Rotimi Amaechi, the APC factional National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, his South South Zonal Director, Godswill Akpabio and a host of others.

    “Furthermore, Nigerians are invited to note that our First Lady, Aisha Buhari, who was on the side of President Buhari throughout his 2015 campaign conspicuously shunned Mr. President’s 2019 re-election flag off apparently in fulfillment of her stance not to support him for a second term if he failed in his first tenure.

    “The PPCO therefore counsels President Buhari to use his failed campaign flag-off to know that no amount of crowd renting, vote-buying and intimidation of opposition can change the resolve of Nigerians to vote him out of office, come February 2019”

  • PDP accuses Buhari, APC of fraudulent depletion of ECA

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the revelation of furtive depletion and siphoning of $1.68 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA), further showed that President Muhammadu Buhari presides over a corrupt government that is bent on draining the treasury and foisting more suffering on the people.

    The party accused President Buhari of superintending over the surreptitious withdrawals from the ECA, without recourse to the statutory appropriation of the National Assembly, saying funds are being frittered from the account to private purses of the cabal at the Presidency and corrupt All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders.

    A statement on Thursday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the excuses being peddled by the Buhari administration on the depletion as hazy, muddle-up and cannot find basis under the due process of statutory legislative approvals.

    The main opposition party wondered why the President is presiding over such impunity, if he is not drawing personal benefits from the obvious racket for which ECA has been turned into APC’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

    The statement said, “Apparently realizing that they have been rejected by Nigerians ahead of the 2019 general elections, the APC and the Buhari Presidency now want to drain our treasury and as usual, blame it on past administration.

    “Nigerians can recall that the PDP, which established the ECA as a buffer account to cushion the effect of any economic down turn, left $2.07 billion in the account only for the Buhari administration to drain it down to $631 million.

    “The PDP condemns this manifest impunity by the Buhari Presidency and demands that no more withdrawals must be made from the account by this corrupt and inept administration.

    “Finally, our party urges Nigerians to unite in condemnation of the depletion of our ECA by the Buhari administration, which has less than five months to leave the governance of our country for good”.

  • PDP, Secondus celebrate Saraki at 56

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has celebrated the President of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, as he turned 56 on Wednesday.

    The party described Saraki as a pillar of democracy, a very courageous and patriotic leader and an exceptional administrator, who has continued to make sacrifices for the unity, stability, development and protection of democratic tenets and good governance in our dear nation.

    A statement by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the the PDP noted with pride, Saraki’s courage in providing outstanding leadership in the National Assembly.

    It added that Saraki had upheld the independence of the legislature and its focus in serving only the interest of the people, despite the “harassment, intimidation and siege” on his persons and the parliament, by the Executive arm of government.

    Read Also: 2019: Saraki battles new foes in Kwara

    Similarly, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, also felicitated with Saraki, describing him as a defender of democracy.

    In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, Secondus said Saraki is a foremost democrat who always stands for the rule of law, adding that contributions to the deepening of democracy in the country stands him out.

    The party chair added that Saraki’s return to the PDP from the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he defected to in 2014, was a good political decision that showed his love for true democracy and Nigeria.

    Secondus noted that the prospects of a better Nigeria is very bright if democracy flourishes and great minds are allowed to make meaningful contributions.

  • PDP accuses Buhari of attempting to doctor unemployment figures

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of attempting to doctor unemployment figures in the country, to create the impression of massive job creation by the administration.
    The party was reacting to a directive by the President to the Statistician General of Nigeria, Mr. Yemi Kale, to change the existing data on unemployment.
    In a statement Tuesday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party condemned what it described as brazen attempt to manipulate official statistics in favour of the administration.
    It described it as a new low in the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government’s established “culture of deceit, falsehood and criminal subterfuge”, in its desperation to hang on to power.
    The party further stated that in desperation, the administration is now trying to force the Statistician General of Nigeria to alter genuine data and smuggle in fictitious employment figures.

    The statement said, “Our party holds that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is a professional body, insulated from government interferences, with statutory responsibility to compute credible and verifiable data and statistics, for national planning.

    Read Also: We’ll defeat PDP, Agbaje roundly – Sanwo-Olu

    “The PDP is therefore shocked at this attempt by the Buhari Presidency to corrupt our system through the falsification of employment statistics just to shore up its failed economic policies that have brought untold hardship on the Nigerian people.

    “Nigerians can now see why the Buhari Presidency has deliberately starved the NBS of funds; to prevent it from conducting surveys and releasing further data that highlight the failures of the APC administration.

    “Unfortunately, President Buhari appears to have forgotten that statistics is like a mirror. If the government does not like the ugliness of its reflection, then the problem is not with the mirror.

    “If the NBS backs down for political expediency or intimidation, it would have dealt a mortal blow to the credibility of official statistics emanating from Nigeria. In the future, such official reports from it would be regarded worthless and unreliable.

    “We therefore call on the Statistician General not to succumb to the blackmail of the Buhari Presidency but remain on the path of truth and facts, in the course of his duty”.

  • APC plots to rig election, PDP alleges

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has again accused President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of plots to rig the 2019 elections.
    At a media briefing in Abuja on Friday, spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, alleged frenzied desperation to foist President Buhari back on Nigerians against the wish of the majority.
    Ologbondiyan said, “Having realized that there is no way they can win in a credible, free and fair presidential election, the Buhari Presidency and the APC, in cahoots with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), have been engaged in series of provocative machinations aimed to corrupt the electoral process, trigger violent dissentions and ultimately derail our democratic process.
    “You will recall that on Thursday, the PDP vehemently rejected the plots by INEC and the Presidency to rig the election by creating illegal polling centres in Chad and Niger Republic, under the guise of ‘special arrangement’ for displaced Nigerians in those countries to participate in the presidential election.

    “The PDP had exposed the plot to use such illegal centres for allocation of fictitious votes, massive ballot stuffing, voting by aliens, underage and unregistered persons to pull millions of fictitious votes in favour of President Buhari.

    “Having been busted, INEC beat a retreat only to invent a fresh ruse by announcing that the ‘special arrangement’ would only be for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within the shores of Nigeria, while secretly retaining the illegal offshore voting plot”.

    Read Also: APC to PDP: Nigeria more secured under Buhari’s govt

    The party spokesman said intelligence available to the PDP indicated that instead of the open offshore voting centres, the Presidency had directed INEC to circumvent the checks by secretly opening illegal voting centres at the desert fringes and remote border lines with Chad and Niger, and use them to achieve its original plans to rig the presidential election.

    According to the main opposition party, part of the plot is to use the illegal remote centres, which will not have functional Smart Card Readers, to allow unchecked voting by aliens, and underage persons as well as provide the unlimited latitude for criminal allocation of fictitious votes for President Buhari and the APC.

    The PDP also alleged plots to compromise security personnel operating in the affected areas to provide official cover for the rigging plot.

    Continuing, the PDP said, “Furthermore, it is instructive to inform Nigerians that, as part of the Buhari Presidency’s rigging plot, INEC has been instructed to deploy defective Smart Card Readers to IDP camps, particularly in some strategic northern states, to pave way for direct manipulations, including alteration of voter register and voting by unregistered persons, particularly, with the foreclosure of incident forms for manual accreditation.

    “This grand plot to rig is the essential reason President Muhammadu Buhari has deliberately refused to sign the amendments to the Electoral Act, which among other things checked manual manipulation by insisting on the use of card readers for biometric accreditation of voters and elimination of over-voting.

    “It is clear that the Buhari Presidency is desperate to re-enact the same rigging scenario, which, in 2015, allowed 13.5 million unauthorized persons to participate in the presidential election, paving the way for the illegal allocation of millions of fictitious votes to President Buhari and we urge Nigerians to unite in condemnation of this ignoble scheme.

    “The PDP therefore rejects, as completely deceptive, the untenable assurances and lip service by this overtly compromised INEC that it can deliver a credible election without an across-the-board biometric accreditation of voters and the use incidence form.

    “Our party completely rejects the plan by INEC to substitute biometric accreditation with manual verification on self-recognition and thumbprint on the voters register.

    “Such primitive method of accreditation only opens the way for unlimited rigging, multiple, underage and alien voting, as well as ballot stuffing which will afford President Buhari and the APC to manipulate themselves back to power against the wish of majority of Nigerians.

    “The PDP, therefore in very unambiguous term, cautions INEC under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu not to be used to set our nation on fire but to immediately retrace its steps and untangle itself from the wicked scheme of the APC as Nigerians will never allow them to have their way.

    “For the purposes of emphasis, the PDP rejects all forms of fraudulent “special arrangements” tailored to rig this election. Our party insists that elections must only hold in statutorily designated polling centers across our country.

    “The PDP and indeed, Nigerians are not ready to accept any fabricated result from any illegal polling center created to assist President Buhari to rig the election.

    “This is essentially because all IDP camps in our country fall within the catchment area of an already delineated polling unit. Therefore any individual who is displaced from his original area of registration is at liberty to have his registration transferred to an exiting statutory polling center near his or her IDP camp of residence. This is a provision that is clear to all, including the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

    “The whole world has now seen that the only reason President Buhari has refused to sign the Electoral Act is because he knows that there is no way he can win in a peaceful, credible, free and fair election. President Buhari is not ready for elections. His only hope in contesting the election is getting INEC and security forces to assist him and the APC to rig.

    “For PDP, our party and Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are ready for the election but we caution INEC under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to note that by playing the Buhari/APC rigging script, it is running on collusion course with the people.

    “This anti-democratic tendency may attract dire consequences as Nigerians are now, more than ever before, ready, willing and resolute to take back their country from the incompetent, divisive and arrogantly corrupt Buhari administration, come 2019.  Enough is Enough”.

  • We won’t lose sleep over Atiku’s US visa row-PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won’t lose sleep over the unresolved bid by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar to obtain the United States visa.

    Many prominent chieftains of the PDP, who spoke with our correspondent on Friday, dismissed the visa row as a non- issue, saying the party has left the matter for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to be fixated with.

    One of the party chieftains, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the matter has been put in abeyance.

    The source said: “As far as some of us are concerned, the hoopla over US visa for Atiku has been taken off the discussion table because we don’t want it to become a source of distraction to the party.

    “In the first place, we are working to elect a suitable President for Nigeria and not a President for the United States so those who want to spend their time debating Atiku’s visa application can continue to entertain themselves.

    “What I can tell you is that the PDP as a party has moved ahead because we don’t believe that winning the 2019 presidential election would have nothing to do with getting a US visa or not”.

    Another party chieftain who did not want to be quoted said the issue of Atiku’s US visa has become a lazy talk, adding the party was busy with its campaign strategies and had little time for such distraction.

    He said: “For how long are we going to dwell on a matter that is personal to Atiku as if traveling to America will win the election for our party and candidate?

    “As far as some of us are concerned, securing a visa to America won’t win the election for Atiku so we remain unfazed by the matter”.

    National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan said Atiku remained a global citizen, wondering how many US Presidents are given condition to visit Nigeria as part of requirements for their office.

    Stressing traveling to the US isn’t one of the conditions for anyone to become President, he recalled the late President Umaru Yar ‘Adua never travelled to the United States before he became President in 2007.