The National Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has said that shoddy arrangement
for this election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is a
deliberate pre determined agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari to cling on to
power even when it’s obvious to him that Nigerians want him out.
Prince Secondus said that the
postponement which is part of a grand design by the All Progressives Congress,
APC, to thwart the will of Nigerians at all cost, clearly exposes INEC as a
failure and calls on the Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to
resign immediately.
The PDP leader warns that the
party will not accept anything short of a well organized electoral process
devoid of manipulation, harassment and intimidation of voters and
the opposition particularly members of the PDP.
Having failed in all their nefarious
options to enable them cling on to power, the APC and the INEC came up with the
idea of shifting election an action that is dangerous to our democracy
and unacceptable.
The National Chairman said that the
APC in connivance with the INEC have been trying all options including but not
limited to burning down INEC offices in some states and destroying of electoral
materials to create artificial problems upon which to stand for their dubious
act.
According to a statement from the
National Chairman’s media office signed by Ike Abonyi, Prince Secondus
said that the party is privy to all the pressures from the APC and the federal
government to arm twist the INEC, to dance to their new strategy after their
earlier ones failed.
“With several of their rigging
options failing, they have to force INEC to agree to a shift in the election or
a staggered election with flimsy excuses pre manufactured for the
purpose.
“For the avoidance of doubt the
PDP sees this action as wicked and we are also aware of other dubious designs
like the deployment of hooded security operatives who would be ruthless on the
people ostensibly to scare them away.
He said that by the action of the
President he has further demonstrated his insensitivity costing the huge cost
after Nigerians including those who came home from abroad have all mobilized to
their various constituencies.
The National Chairman recalls that
the PDP had earlier alerted Nigerians that the APC was coming up with lined up
rigging strategies including burning down of INEC offices and engineering
crisis in PDP strong hold areas to scare away the people.
Prince Secondus said that the wicked
killing of over 60 persons mostly women and children in Southern Kaduna on the
eve of election is a copious ploy by the APC to frighten the people away from
voting knowing too well that they were not going to record any vote from the
area.
“Recall that the Governor of
Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el rufai had earlier threatened international
election observers of going to their country in body bags and with the fatal
violence in the state on the eve of election, it’s clear what the motives
are, to frighten the observers from the state so that he can carry out his
nefarious acts.
The National Chairman also drew the
attention of all lovers of democracy to the statement of President Buhari on
the international media that nobody can unseat him from office as an
indication of what he wants to do.
Prince Secondus also regretted that
President Buhari who made a promise at the signing of peace accord that the
election will be conducted in a fair and transparent atmosphere has gone
ahead in breach of the peace agreements to send soldiers and other security
agencies to arrest, harass and intimidate opponents in Rivers, Akwa Ibom,
Kwara, Kano, Kaduna states.