The National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP yesterday asked President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC not to truncate the nation’s democracy by planning to manipulate the Bayelsa State Gubernatorial election against the wishes of the people, just as it cautioned the federal government against alleged moves to use forceful means to take the governorship of Bayelsa State.
According to PDP, the country has enough challenges ranging from Boko Haram to insecurity, Protests in the East under the aegis, Indigenous People of Biafra, among others to address, warning that other problems or crisis that may affect the peace and unity of the country must not be created.
Addressing Journalists yesterday, PDP Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, the PDP asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to as a matter of urgency disqualify the candidate of the APC in the Bayelsa governorship election for allegedly announcing fake results, adding that the government should not contemplate hijacking state from PDP and give Bayelsa to APC like it did in Kogi State.
Secondus who alleged that Sylva had announced that he knew the true results of the election in Southern Ijaw local government, stressed that his action was a breach of the Electoral Act which empowered only INEC to announce election results.
The PDP Chairman who also warned the APC, the Military against alleged moves to jeopardise the nation’s democracy, by being used to manipulate the election, however advised the Military to channel its energy to fight Boko Haram, adding,” We want to appeal to the to Army to face the military job and avoid anything that can brew crises to Nigeria we have enough to battle.
“Our miitary should face Boko Haram and other insecurity issues in Nigeria not aiding APC in rigging the election. During the last administration, the military were not directly involved in the elections, those of you who have been at the elections recently in Kogi and Bayelsa the military were positioned in strategic places far from the polling units. In the case of southern Ijaw they were at the polling booths handing out materials to the people.
“And in the community, the women and the youth barricaded them. You can see the difference, the previous administration, we were not allowed to participate, in this one, they were the people doctoring the elections for both INEC and the APC.”
“We were told that security agencies came with armoured cars and harrassed, intimidated the people, which made INEC to cancel the elections.
According to Secondus, “Southern Ijaw is a PDP stronghold since 16 years. So there couldn’t have been any magic overnight to change the will of the people. The people of Bayelsa has spoken and INEC and the security agencies must respect the will of the people.” – Vanguard,
