…Warns Military To Steer Clear Of Re-runs
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Monday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s pledge to be neutral in the March 23 governorship supplementary elections, is an indication that the Presidency used its overbearing influence to rig the February 23 Presidential election.
The party also added that “The Presidency’s confession that the All Progressives Congress, APC, members are mounting pressure on President Buhari to help them rig the Supplementary elections further confirms the Nigerian Presidency manipulative and rigging capacity, including militarization of the electoral process, instigating of violence and alteration of results, as were freely used by the APC in the Presidential election.”
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP advised Nigerians particularly its members not to take the pledge of neutrality serious, saying “The Presidency, has never been committed to free, fair and credible elections.”
The statement read: “Nigerians can recall that ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, President Buhari had promised to allow for a free, fair, transparent and credible process, only for his Presidency and party, the APC, to engage in downright manipulations at the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, deployment of military and thugs to intimidate and suppress voters, as well as outright alteration of results delivered from the polling units.
“President Buhari cannot exonerate himself from the harm inflicted on our polity by the deployment of soldiers in the 2019 general elections, as nobody deploys the military except the President and Commander-in-Chief.
“Now that President Buhari, in his official capacity, has come out to state that he will not intervene in the March 23 Supplementary election; we ask, is Mr. President assuring Nigerians that any ‘soldier’ seen directly involving in the rerun election is fake and should be treated as such?
“The PDP charges the military to note the import of the statement by the Presidency and steer clear of the supplementary elections.
“The PDP also cautions INEC officials to note that Nigerians are very eager about the outcome of the governorship supplementary elections, given that the PDP is already leading in these states, ” warning that “Nigerians are not ready to accept any results that do not reflect the reality of our victory, which is already known to all.”
