The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday said Facebook’s revelation detailing the manipulations and disinformation in the 2019 general elections allegedly by President Muhammadu Buhari’s handlers and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had exposed them as real enemies of the nation’s democracy.
Facebook announced that it had removed a set of 265 Facebook and Instagram assets, created by a Tel Aviv, Israel-based Archimedes Group for interfering with elections, which included the recent Nigeria’s February/March 2019 general elections.
The American online social media and social networking service company on May 16 accused Archimedes of spreading propaganda and manipulating voters in Nigeria and some other African countries, Asia and Latin America, according to an internal investigation launched by Facebook into inauthentic behaviour on its platform.
The PDP claimed that the revelation further exposed the APC as a fraudulent and violent-loving party, whose divisive activities threatened the country’s security.
The PDP’s position was contained in a statement made available to journalists by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.
The statement read, “Our party notes that there are more damning revelations against the APC, not only on its rigging of the general elections, but also on how it is working against our nation, which will come to light at the appropriate time.
“The APC, which engaged in manipulation to foist itself, will do anything, no matter how vile, to sustain itself in office, not minding the social, economic and collateral damages such could cause our dear nation.
“It is, however, to say the least, despicable that in their desperation to hold on to power at all costs, President Buhari’s handlers and the APC engaged in this sneaky disinformation, internet lies and smear campaigns against the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.”
The opposition party said it was unpardonable that instead of owning up, the Federal Government and the APC, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, were seeking to cover their tracks and divert public attention by making unsubstantiated security allegations against the PDP and its candidate.
It claimed it had information of how the APC resorted to the manipulation of electoral process to alter election results after it failed in the smear campaign project.
The statement added, “The Facebook’s revelation exposes how President Buhari, in his claimed integrity, allowed the enlisting of criminals, hackers and Internet fraudsters in the desperate attempt to manipulate the views of Nigerians against Atiku Abubakar.
“The scheme failed as Nigerians had already made up their minds to do away with the incompetent, deceptive, vindictive and corrupt APC administration.
“The APC has now commenced a renewed plot to engage in fabricated security accusations against the PDP and our presidential candidate in another desperate stunt to play the victim and divert attention from its endless election manipulations, all in the ill-fated attempt to demonise the PDP, hoodwink Nigerians and confer legitimacy on the outcome of the rigged election.
“Since the Facebook’s revelation, the Federal Government and the Presidency have suddenly gone dumb, having been exposed and shown in their true colours.
“However, the PDP holds to the eternal truth that no matter how lies appears to prevail, truth is bound to triumph at the end of the day.”
