The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari from the February 16th election for allegedly importing mercenaries to influence his election.
The party also, in a separate statement issued in Abuja yesterday, urged INEC to investigate Buhari for “compromising the country’s territorial integrity after it smuggled in a crowd from Niger Republic to populate its presidential campaign in Kano State.”
However, the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) cum Director of Field Operations in the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said that there was nothing unlawful about any government official or individual from West African countries joining to campaign for the re-election of Buhari.
The National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus made the call for Buhari’s disqualification yesterday at the Pa Oruta Ngele Township Stadium, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, venue of the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in the state.
Secondus described as shameful, the incidents in Kano on Thursday during the APC presidential campaign “where governors and other mercenaries from neighbouring countries especially Niger Republic attended the rally and openly campaigned for the president.”
He said such action showed that the APC intends to import more foreign nationals into the country to influence the elections and called on INEC to disqualify the party from the elections.
“Let me warn INEC that what we witnessed in Kano on Thursday is the worst that we have seen in the country where people from other countries like Niger and Chad came to influence the election in Nigeria.
“We ask INEC to disqualify Buhari for bringing in mercenaries to influence the election. INEC better be warned that you cannot rig this election. We have already won this election. Atiku believes in the youths and women, that is why they are always trooping out massively to welcome him anywhere we have gone”.
At the rally, President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki lamented the high rate of hunger and unemployment in the country since the APC came to power.
He attributed the economic downturn in the country to the inexperience of the ruling government in management of the economy.
“Atiku is experienced having been in the private sector, so vote for a man that can talk to anybody, bring in investors to Nigeria, eliminate hunger from the land and revitalise the economy. That man is Atiku Abubakar,” Saraki said
Atiku in his own speech commended the state governor for the huge transformation going on in the state and promised that such would be replicated in the entire country when he becomes the President.
While promising that Southeast would not be marginalised in his government, Atiku urged the people to vote and protect their votes to ensure that they would count in the end.
“I have been coming to this state since it was created and I can tell you that the greatest transformation in this state has been done by Umahi. The people of Ebonyi have been loyal to Ebonyi and PDP has been loyal to Ebonyi State. Every facility in this state was provided by PDP. I want to promise you that Ebonyi will never be marginalised again.
“This is your best time for the southeast. Come out in numbers and vote for PDP. I have been to many states in this country; I have not seen this kind of mobilisation. I want to single out governor Umahi and commend him for such mobilisation. This is the only road that they are building with concrete. It means your roads are going to be a lifetime road. It is only somebody like Umahi who can do that. Not only do you vote but you should protect your votes”, Atiku stressed.
Meanwhile, in his statement yesterday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, warned that the presence of the Niger Republic governors at Buhari’s rally signposted a direct assault on the credibility of the presidential elections.
He said this was particularly against the backdrop of INEC’s plans to allow Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in that country to vote during elections, a situation it said opened the way for aliens to infiltrate as IDPs and participate in the elections. – Thisday.
