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Tag: PDP

  • Buhari’s man, others defect to PDP

    BARELY three days to the rescheduled general elections, the Sokoto state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has made a big catch into its fold as Alhaji Sani Muhammad Gobirawa, Northwest Zonal Vice President of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners and top notch of the Buhari Support Organisation(BSO) “Buhari Sak” in Sokoto defects from APC.

    Gobirawa who currently is at the vanguard as Vice Chairman of the Aminu Waziri Tambuwal(AMATA) Support Group exclusively told The Nation in Sokoto Wednesday that his defection along with others in the BSO was voluntary and based on their conviction that PDP is the most fulfilling political platform that symbolises the democracy for Nigeria to work again.

    ” Our decision to join PDP was purely based on our firm conviction of the ability and capability of Governor Aminu’s reality and myth, as such, we don’t need the approval or inclination of any family to actualize our political aspirations”, he pointed out.

    According to the Pensioners top echelon who similarly seized opportunity to clear the air on some misinformation on his defection, said ” I have to put it straight to the people of the state and to shame doubting Thomases that as a Nigerian and an adult with my senses, I can decide on which party to join without associating my actions to any family.

    Read Also: Buhari’s directive against ballot snatchers patriotic, says ex- Speaker

    ” This clarification has become necessary for Sokoto people to discountenance insinuations from some quarters associated with family issue”, he explained.

    The political opinion leader and elder who also holds a traditional title of ‘ Wakilin Gwiwa and Walin Dabagin Ardo’ in the state continued, ” when I joined BSO I did not seek the permission nor associated my membership to any family.”

    Gobirawa however, urged the public to focus on issues and not personality as to the issue of choice in a democratic setting where a citizen has the right to freely associate and express his wish as to his or her aspiration.

    He said his group remain determined and focused with resilience for the success of PDP and for the reelection of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

    ” I wish to reaffirm the commitment of our group and we remain firm and resolute behind the PDP under Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from the grassroots up to the National level for the good of the people and the coming generations yet unborn. I also urge the people of Sokoto state to continue to extend their support to the Governor so that he can transform the state and return it’s lost glory.“

  • PDP, Presidency clash over Buhari’s directive

    THE Presidency yesterday joined issues with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the opposition party’s position on ballot box snatchers.

    At the PDP National Executive Council (NEC), its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and National Chairman Uche Secondus urged the military and other security agencies not to obey presidential order asking them to deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers.

    But the Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu, said President Buhari’s remark on ballot snatchers had unsettled the PDP.

    The party chieftains described the order as unlawful and insisted that there are enough provisions in the nation’s laws for the prosecution of ballot box snatchers.

    Speaking at a national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday, President Buhari had said: “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disrupt the election, may be that would be the last unlawful action you would take. “I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life”.

    Atiku and Secondus cautioned the President.

    The PDP presidential candidate said: “It’s shocking for any head of state to utter such words in a democracy and that Nigerians should not accept it from President Buhari.”

    He accused the President of failing to uphold the rule of law, describing the suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) as unconstitutional.

    Atiku said: “When you people are talking about democracy, I have always said that Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is not a democrat, he has never been a democrat. We started the fight to drive the military, he was never there; he never participated. You can see that he just wore the garb of democracy so that he can come back to power.”

    According to him, Nigerians should be allowed to elect the candidate of their choice, saying: “You owe it to the people to let them give their verdict in the same way that you were elected.

    “If you do so and if you win, then the people will commend you for it. Otherwise, history will condemn you for it.”

    Secondus carpeted the President for making such remark.

    He said: “By that directive, ordering soldiers to kill our citizens without recourse to the law and with impunity, the President has unwittingly given license to APC leaders to carry military personnel on Saturday.

    “The agenda of that directive is clear; to scare away voters and agents, that we have directed to defend their votes, so as to give way to a military-protected political thugs to come into the polling booths, and implement their result replacement strategy.”

    Secondus said the President ought to have signed the amended Electoral Act Bill to demonstrate his commitment to free and free elections.

    The party chair insisted on non-deployment of military or paramilitary units to electoral duties, as, according to him, elections are civil activities, which the police are best trained to handle.

    He also sought assurances from the Federal Government that all communication assets – fixed and mobile, including the Internet, will not be interrupted or compromised during the elections.

    The party chair similarly urged adherence to steps taken by the government to safeguard the conduct of the elections, including restriction of movements and closure of the nation’s borders with the Republics of Chad and Niger.

    The meeting, which lasted several hours, was attended by PDP stakeholders, including governors, federal lawmakers, former cabinet ministers and members of the Board of Trustees.

  • Atiku confirmed PDP is working with INEC, says Oshiomhole

    TO All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has vindicated the ruling party’s claim that the opposition was working with some officials of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to compromise the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Oshiomhole, who addressed reporters last night, said it had become clearer that the only mission of the PDP candidate “is to cause confusion in the electoral system so that he will become President even it means presiding over graves”.

    According to him, only those who want to deploy thugs to undermine the elections will oppose and find fault with the statement of the President aimed at discouraging thuggery during the election.

    Oshiomhole said the attention of the international community at the moment is that elections across the world should be violent-free and assured that the forthcoming elections will be conducted in a free and fair atmosphere.

    He said: “It is only those who believe in thuggery that will find fault with the President’s directive. Is there anyone that would want to vote for thuggery? Is there any thug that is not armed? You cannot snatch ballot box without the aid of firearms. So, when the international community is talking about violence-free election, they are saying the election should be free of thuggery.

    “You can see that the PDP is not at home with that because they imported thuggery, institutionalised it and have always fallen back on it as instrument of rigging and to dominate the electorates. So, we debunk any attempt by Atiku to change the essence of the President’s statement.

    “I believe the President spoke the kind of the average Nigerian who wants to go and vote and come home in peace without fear of being attacked. You know that thuggery is synonymous with violence and the world is unanimous that violence should be removed from election.

    Atiku’s rejection exposes PDP for what they are. Their plan is to deploy thugs so that the election will be impossible or reduce voter turnout.

    “To say that the APC imported card reader is laughable and that the card readers have been deployed to the Southsouth and Southeast. The implication of this is, assuming it is true without conceding, it means that Atiku is working hand in hand with the ICT unit in INEC to know the kind of machines that are deployed to where.

    “Recognising that INEC is Independent, we are not able to know the kind of card readers INEC is deploying or where they were imported from. But if Atiku has all of these details, it can only mean that he is working hand in hand with people within INEC to know where machines are imported from and the fact that card readers can be programmed otherwise.

    “We are not like a stammers who look for a fight because they cannot win an argument. We believe that the electorates are ready to vote for us and we want those votes to take place in a free and fair atmosphere.

    “I think that Nigerians should be united when it comes to the issue of a free and fair election. Our candidate is saddled with the responsibility for peace and security of Nigerians. He has the duty to ensure that the live of the Nigerian electorate is protected as well as those of the observers. That is the responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief.”

    Read also: EFCC detains Atiku’s man over $4m cash haul

    “So, if Atiku finds fault in this, if anybody is pro thuggery, we are against thuggery and we are against violence. The International community should properly decode Atiku’s statement sling the president to withdraw his threat not against the electorates, but against would be thugs or merchants of violence.

    “As far as I am concern, Atiku knows that he can’t win. In 2003 elections, he lost his base in Adamawa. He is on record to have procured a senatorial seat for Prof. Jibrin Aminu. If he wants to go to court, I will meet him there and I will produce the first INEC documented report that announced the winners of those senatorial seats.”

    The APC chair predicted that the PDP candidate will lose in his Adamawa home state.

    “We are ready for the elections and by the grace of God, Nigerians will vote for us and Atiku will remain a permanent presidential candidate which Nigerians never had,” Oshiomhole said.

    Reacting to the reports credited to Atiku and the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, Oshiomhole said: “This afternoon, we monitored the statement by the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus in which they tried to distort the message which of the President who reassured Nigerians that he has given appropriate directive to security agents to ensure that Saturday election is free and fair.

    “From the response of the PDP candidate, it is clear that they have already conceded defeat. First, he claimed that he has two stronghold which he identified as Southsouth and Southeast. That is not true because I come from the Southsouth and we are not voting Atiku. We have since dismantled the PDP machine in Edo state and Edo is the heart beat of the Nation.

    “Even If you take the statement in its face value, if Atiku concedes that out of six geopolitical zones, he has support not in his own zone, but Southsouth and Southeast, the voting population in these two zones are not enough to deliver the presidency to any candidate in Nigeria.”

    According to him, every peace-loving Nigerian and those who wish Nigeria are yearning for fair and violent-free elections.

    He said: “What the President said and we are proud that he has courage to say it that he has asked security agents to create an enabling environment for Nigerians to out and vote without fear that thugs will attack them and that security agents are going to put thugs in check. No peace loving Nigerian can find fault with that,” Oshiomhole said.

    Recalling how thugs were used to rig elections when Atiku held the forte as vice president, the APC chair said: “I think it does expose PDP for what they are. Atiku as vice president to Obasanjo was there in 2003 when people were killed by thugs. In my election in 2007, three young men were shut down by PDP thugs at Oba Primary school. So, no responsible candidate will find fault with any pronouncement that tends to discourage thuggery in the coming elections.

    “For a man who is aspiring to preside over Nigeria to seek protection for thuggery is uncalled for. He has already said he will grant amnesty to looters. I don’t think Nigerians have any basis to doubt that Atiku’s mission is to set Nigeria on fire so that he can become President, even If he will preside over a graveyard.”

  • Why insecurity persists in Edo, by PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has said insecurity persists in the state because Governor Godwin Obaseki was not using the N500 million collected monthly as security vote for security purposes.

    It said there would be less insecurity if Obaseki was adequately spending the N500 million to boost security.

    Spokesman of the PDP Chris Nehikhare, who was reacting to the ongoing cult war in the state, said the people were yet to see Obaseki’s security outfit in action.

    According to him, the PDP was worried about the death of the young ones, especially as the elections draw near.

    But Governor Obaseki, who spoke through his media aide, Crusoe Osagie, said personnel of ‘Operation Wabaizighan,’ a security outfit set up to fight violent crimes, have been deployed and are in pursuit of the criminals fomenting trouble.

    Obaseki condemned the recent cult-related killings, and urged the people to remain calm as relevant security agencies work hard to fish out the culprits.

    He said: “The revamped security architecture is working to ensure that those responsible for the killings are prosecuted. We are constantly engaging with the top brass of security agencies, and they have promised their commitment to fish out the culprits.

    “We are a state that upholds law and order. I dare reiterate that no one is above the law, and this is why the police have gone after the hoodlums and will ensure that they are brought to book.”

    The governor also urged the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosun, and other relevant security agencies, to leave no stone unturned in fishing out those responsible for the clashes and resultant deaths

     

  • Osun APC accuses PDP of attacking 18 members in Ila-Orangun

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of attacking its 18 members in Ila-Orangun, the headquarters of Ila Local Government Area, last Saturday.

    The party said it transferred the injured, yesterday, to the State Hospital in Asubiaro, Osogbo, the state capital.

    The state’s APC Chairman Gboyega Famodun told reporters that the victims had been admitted at the State Hospital in Ila-Orangun before they were transferred to Osogbo for further treatment.

    According to him, a victim, Adebayo Ismail, told the party leaders that some political thugs attacked them with cutlasses and other weapons last Saturday.

    The APC chairman, who urged the police to intervene in the matter and end the political attacks in the state, said the trend could cause a political crisis.

    He said the PDP in its “desperate bid” to wrestle power from the APC had resorted to violence.

    Famodun said: “In Ila-Orangun on Saturday morning, hoodlums suspected to be political thugs working for the PDP attacked my members with cutlasses, guns, knives and machetes. They were shooting sporadically into the air and at times attempted to shoot at our people.

    “Also, there were serious attacks in Atakunmosa East. Houses were burnt, our party chairman at the council was harassed, his houses were burnt. The index finger of the son of Iyaloja Atakunmosa was cut off by the hoodlums.”

    But the state’s PDP Chairman Soji Adagunodo accused the police of not providing tight security for his members.

    He said PDP supporters had been facing series of attacks since last Thursday.

    Adagunodo told reporters that the PDP was compiling a list of its attacked members with the aim of forwarding it to police authorities in the state.

    Describing the APC as a group of propaganda mongers, Adgunodo said: “They are again trying to implicate our party members, the PDP, and make the police enforce frivolous arrests.”

    He referred to a petition written to the police by the APC against PDP members in Ila Local Government Area, saying: “We don’t know how they came about 18 APC injured members allegedly taken to the State Hospital at Asubiaro in Osogbo and claiming that the PDP members attacked them.

    “They wore bandages on their legs, arms, heads and other parts of their bodies, but at a close observation showed that their claims of attacks, injuries, etc, are mere frame-up. There were no injuries on the 18 people who carried bandages all over their bodies.

    “In order to remain impartial, the police commissioner in Osun State should, as a matter of duty, probe the hospital, the policemen, who investigated the story and came out with a clean bill to convince Nigerians and Osun people as an unbiased umpire in the present situation.

    “We also expect that, possibly, the police authorities will apply appropriate sanctions against them as a deterrent to others who may want to create confusion in our dear state.”

    Also, Police Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Abiodun Ige, assured that the culprits would be apprehended and prosecuted.

    The police chief, who advised the politicians to play the game according to the rules, warned that the command would not tolerate any act of lawlessness.

  • PDP to military: don’t obey order on ballot box snatching

    The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, have urged the military and other security agencies not to obey the presidential order asking them to deal ruthlessly with would-be ballot box snatchers.

    The party chieftains described the order as unlawful, insisting that there are enough provisions in the nation’s laws for the arrest and prosecution of ballot box snatching and other electoral offences.

    Speaking at a national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday, President Buhari had said: “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, may be that would be the last unlawful action you would take.

    “I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life”.

    But speaking Wednesday in Abuja, at the 84th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP, the two opposition chieftains cautioned President Buhari not to let loose anarchy in the country during the upcoming elections.

    Atiku said it’s shocking for any head of state to utter such words in a democracy and that Nigerians should not accept it from President Buhari, adding “We have fought more ruthless dictators than himself”.

    According to him, Buhari’s actions and utterances since he mounted the saddle in 2015 have been painful reminders of the era of military dictatorship.

    “General Buhari has consistently violated the constitution; he failed to uphold the rule of law. Recent instances include the unconstitutional suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria a day before he was supposed to inaugurate the committee for the election tribunals that will decided any appeals or whether our elections were subject to manipulation, thereby crossing the immutable line that divides the executive from the judiciary.

    “When you people are talking about democracy, I have always said that Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is not a democrat, he has never been a democrat. We started the fight to drive the military, he was never there, he never participated.

    “You can see that he just wore the garb of democracy so that he can come back to power and do whatever he is doing. So Gen Buhari is not a democrat, he doesn’t believe in democracy, he is a lip service, he is more of a power monger than a democrat.

    “A precondition for free, fair and credible election is that the people are able to freely vote the candidate of their choice. You owe it to the people to let them give their verdict in the same way that you were elected. If you do so and if you win, then the people will commend you for it. Otherwise, history will condemn you for it. But before history does that, we will condemn you for it,” Atiku added.

    Secondus said Nigerians were still in shock as a result of the order, stressing that the same President who has been “off duty” since the needless bloodletting in various parts of the country over the years, could give what amounted to shoot-on-sight orders against ballot snatching.

    Secondus said, “By that directive, ordering soldiers to kill our citizens without recourse to the law and with impunity, the President has unwittingly given license to APC leaders to carry military personnel on Saturday.

    “The agenda of that directive is clear; to scare away voters and agents, that we have directed to defend their votes, so as to give way to a military protected political thugs to come into the polling booths, and implement their result replacement strategy.

    “The President’s body language alongside that of his party hierarchy appeared remorseless for the damage done to our democracy or the huge private and public resources wasted by the inability of APC hawks acting as contractors and consultants to allow INEC to operate.

    “I can indeed make the conclusion, that from inception, President Buhari, was not ready for free and fair elections, otherwise he would easily have signed the amended Electoral Act, which would have enabled peaceful and hitch free elections in 2019.

    “President Buhari’s disregard for institutions of states, which started with the attempt of the Executive to hijack the Legislature, has continued unabated, with the illegal suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the swearing in of an acting CJN”.

    The party chair insisted on non-deployment of military or paramilitary units to electoral duties, as, according to him, elections are civil activities, which the police are best trained to handle.

    He also sought assurances from the Federal Government that all communication assets – fixed and mobile, including the Internet, will not be interrupted or compromised during the elections.

    The party chair similarly urged adherence to steps taken by the government to safeguard the conduct of the elections, including restriction of movements and closure of the nation’s borders with the Republics of Chad and Niger.

    The meeting, which lasted several hours, was attended by key party stakeholders, including governors, federal lawmakers, former cabinet Ministers and members of the Board of Trustees.

  • PDP jittery over directive on ballot box snatching – Presidency

    The Presidency on Tuesday said that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) is jittery over the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to deal ruthlessly with anybody that attempts to snatch ballot box during the forthcoming elections.

    Reiterating that anyone who dares to snatch ballot box during the elections will be doing it for the last time, the Presidency said that it should be seen as a strong message against the long history of savagery associated with elections in the country.

    Speaking with State House correspondents, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, recalled some past elections in parts of Nigeria, during which innocent voters lost their lives while ballot boxes were snatched by armed thugs.

    He said the President had the safety and security of Nigerians uppermost in mind when he made the comment, and should be praised rather than criticized for issuing this stern warning to potential ballot box snatchers.

    He also expressed concern about those attacking the president’s comment, and their worry over the fate of anyone caught snatching ballot boxes.

    Read Also: PDP alleges plots by Buhari, APC to truncate democracy

    He said “This sounds like members of the opposition, specifically the People’s Democratic Party, PDP who have perfected plans to rig the elections and to snatch ballot boxes.

    “They can tell that President Buhari is not prepared to tolerate their antics this time around, and they are afraid. They have shown their intent.” he said

    Shehu noted that no one had anything to fear from the President’s comments if their conscience and intentions were clear.

    He said, “Let’s just have free and fair elections and no one need worry about anything.

    “Snatching ballot boxes often entails putting the lives of innocent Nigerians at risk. About 10 years ago, evidence was brought before an election tribunal from one of the states in North Central of the gruesome killing of 26 prospective voters by ballot box snatchers.

    “Their modus operandi is well known. They storm election venues in commando style, overwhelm the law-enforcement agents and seize ballot boxes leaving a trail of death and injury.”

    He added “Anyone who dares to put the lives of innocent citizens at risk in their desperation to rig elections must be prepared for the possibility of losing their own lives because our security agents will certainly not stand by, clap for them and watch them kill and maim.“

  • PDP urges people to vote

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the people of Anambra State to exercise their franchise on Saturday despite the let down by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last weekend.

    The Chairman of Atiku/Obi Campaign Council, Oseloka Obaze, who addressed reporters yesterday, regretted the economic implications and opportunity cost of the postponement.

    He maintained that four years was enough time for INEC to prepare for the elections, “the postponement was a systemic failure on the part of INEC,” he added.

    According to him, INEC must apologise for causing so much frustration and international embarrassment to Nigeria, even as he urged Nigerians to ensure that their voices were heard through the ballot on the rescheduled dates.

    Read also: PDP alleges plots by Buhari, APC to truncate democracy

    He said: “INEC should revisit its directives that political campaigns should not be reopened. Our party takes a strong exception to that, and if need be, we are willing to approach the court to seek interpretation of the Electoral Act.

    “Our party in Anambra State will meet with the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to inspect those materials, just the way we inspected them when they arrived, to ensure their sanctity has not been violated. And that should apply across board.”

  • Political thugs set 30 buildings on fire in Ebonyi

    Over 30 houses have been destroyed in pre-election related violence in some communities in Izzi local government area of Ebonyi state.

    But the two major parties- The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC) have continued to trade blames over the destructions.

    Commissioner of Police Awosola Awotunde on Monday in Abakaliki appealed for calm among residents over the attacks.

    Awotunde, who spoke with journalists after assessment visits to areas affected by the violence, vowed police authority would ensure that perpetrators of the dastardly acts were arrested and brought to book.

    The police chief described the incident as barbaric and man’s inhumanity to man.

    Awotunde decried the wanton carnage warned against any reprisal.

    He said that those involved in the criminal attacks on the communities, including their sponsors would be arrested and prosecuted.

    “We appeal for calm and assure the public that police will spare no efforts in ensuring that everyone who is involved in the dastardly act is brought to book including their sponsors.

    “The police further reassure the public of commitment to protection of lives and property of every citizen of the state before, during and after the elections”, Awotunde said.

    He also sympathised with victims during the assessment visits.

    Narrating his ordeals, a victim of the attack, Mr. Donatus Nwofe who spoke to journalists at Aguabata in Agbaja community of Izzi, said he lost two of his buildings and property worthy several millions to the attackers.

    Nwofe, who is the chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) Ebonyi council, said that the suspected political thugs invaded his compound and shot sporadically before setting the houses ablaze.

    “I lost everything; even the boxers I am wearing were donated to me by a sympathizer, as you can see, no pin was removed from the burnt down houses.

    “We now live in fear as no one knows when the hoodlums will attack again with their AK 47 riffles and other weapons.

    “I am appealing to police to beef up security in the community and I am also calling on state and Federal governments to come to the rescue of the victims of the attacks,” Nwofe said.

    Another victim, Mr Paulinus Onyike said the suspected political thugs from a major political party invaded Izenyi, in Agbaja community and set houses suspected to belong to members of the opposition ablaze.

    He said the suspected political thugs who invaded the area, shot indiscriminately before setting houses and other valuable property ablaze in the area.

    He described the attacks as barbaric and called for proper investigation and arrest of the perpetrators.

    Ebonyi APC chairman, Eze Nwachukwu, said his members bore the brunt of the attacks.

    He described the attacks as unprovoked and urged police and other security agencies to intensify security surveillance in the state.

    Nwachukwu chronicled the alleged gruesome attacks to include; attack on the senatorial candidate of the party in Ebonyi South Senatorial District, Mr Nweze Onu; attacks on APC members, destruction of their houses and property in Izzi local government area.

    Others, according to him, include: attacks and disruption of APC local government rallies by suspected political thugs at Ebonyi, Onitcha, Ohaozara local government areas and destruction of APC campaign office in Ohaozara.

    He also listed alleged attacks on the home of APC Zonal Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chris Ogba at Ezzama, Ezza South on February 16 and attack on members of the party at Ekoli-Edda among others.

    But Ebonyi PDP chairman Onyekachi Nwebonyi denied the allegations.

    “It is not true. They are the ones attacking our members. I had briefed you on the killing of two persons on Sunday who were attached by political thugs while six others were injured”

    “PDP has been very peaceful despite the provocations. The governor, who is a man of peace, have continued to calm the party faithful down and urging them not to retaliate despite the provocations”.

    He decried the attacks and called on security agencies to fish-out the perpetrators and bring them to book.

  • PDP alleges plots by Buhari, APC to truncate democracy

    The People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ) has alleged plots by President Muhammadu Buhari and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) to trigger widespread political crisis, aimed at derailing the democratic process and plunge the nation into anarchy.

    The opposition party particularly faulted the President’s directive to the security agencies to deal ruthlessly with any ballot box snatchers and others that may act in ways that could threaten the electoral process.

    A statement Monday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP viewed President Buhari’s directive as “threat to the lives of Nigerians”.

    The President had, during the APC caucus meeting held in Abuja Monday, said anyone caught snatching ballot boxes should consider the offence the very last they would ever commit.

    But the PDP said President Buhari’s statement was a direct call for jungle justice and attempt to divert public attention from details of APC’s caucus meeting where the President issued the warning.

    The statement said, “We do hope that this call by President Buhari is not a camouflage for the fake soldiers mobilized by the APC to shoot at innocent Nigerians, snatch ballot boxes and execute their rigging plans on the election day. It is indeed a license to kill, which should not come from any leader of any civilized nation.

    “The underlining fact to the above is that President Buhari and APC leaders, upon getting to their voting constituencies last Saturday, realized that there is a nationwide rejection of Buhari’s re-election bid, and this has thrown them into a panic mode.

    “President Buhari must however bear in mind that his resort to threats and scaremongering will not deter Nigerians from coming out en-masse to vote him out of office on February 23.

    “We are aware that President Buhari, who had earlier boasted that nobody can ‘unseat’ him, is bent on using every dictatorial and tyrannical act to truncate the process of a free, fair and credible election”.

    The party also said intelligence available to it showed that the Buhari Presidency has directed the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reshuffle the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

    According to the PDP, the alleged deployment was to eagle INEC deploy “compromised” officials to manipulate the electoral process in President favour, adding, as they did with the police shortly before February 16.

    The said it’s also aware of the pressure allegedly being mounted by the Buhari Presidency on INEC to cancel elections in some states and make others inconclusive so as to achieve the President’s objectives of a staggered election not minding the crisis such will trigger across the federation.

    “We want Nigerians and the international community to hold President Buhari personally responsible for any electoral crisis, otherwise he will as usual, claim that he was not aware of the plots and transfer the blame to Adams Oshiomhole and Rotimi Amaechi.

    “It is already known that President Buhari has been unrelenting in his attempts to subdue our democracy by trying to subjugate the legislature, emasculate the judiciary and seize control of the electoral umpire.

    “Nevertheless, the PDP wants to assure President Buhari that our nation is bigger than him and that Nigerians will never allow him and the APC to rig this election.

    “Nigerians have reach an irreversible democratic consensus to vote Buhari out and elect the Peoples Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is ready to rescue our nation from the hardship, anguish, agony and bloodletting which the Buhari administration has plunged us,” the statement added