Fresh arguments brewing as opposition party makes huge accusation against ruling party and its candidate over unending assaults on INEC facilities in parts of the country
Report by Mudasir Opeyemi
The Opposition People’s Democratic Party has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress and it’s presidential candidate,Bola Tinubu of sponsoring series of attacks on the facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
PDP made the allegation in a press conference chaired by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Wednesday in Abuja.
The party according to Ologunagba said the APC, having realised that it had been rejected, has commenced its violent attacks to frustrate the conduct of the elections.
The party also alleged that the attacks in the recent times on the facilities of INEC were in line with the directive issued by the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, to his party members that “political power is not going to be served in a restaurant, it is not served a la carte. It is what we are doing; It is being determined; you do it at all cost; fight for it, grab it, snatch it and run with it.”
The PDP said in response to Tinubu’s directive, APC leaders and members have now activated plots to derail the electoral process through orchestrated violent attacks in various states of the country aimed to trigger a nationwide security emergency situation, instill fear and make it appear inconducive to conduct elections in the country.
“Part of the plot is the current attacks on the facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission in various parts of the country as witnessed in Ogun, Osun and Imo states, where sections critical to the conduct of elections, particularly those connected to the collection of Permanent Voters Cards, were targeted and destroyed.
“Also, our party has been made aware of plans by the APC to orchestrate attacks in other states particularly Kogi and Delta; some states of the South-East as well as parts of the North with the view to subverting the electoral process in as many states as possible.
“Intelligence available to our party indicates that the attack on INEC facilities is to prevent newly registered voters from collecting their PVCs; destroy the PVCs so that they will not be available for collection in INEC offices, and thirdly, destroy INEC equipment and cripple its capacity to conduct elections.”
PDP further alleged that, APC has introduced various ways of buying voters card from poor Nigerians adding that it was not surprised at the resort to violence by Tinubu and the APC having realized the defeat that awaits them in 2023.
“In addition, the APC has introduced a very disturbing dimension of “purchasing” PVCs from unsuspecting Nigerians through monetary inducement masquerading as empowerment programmes.
“In any case, our party is not surprised at the resort to violence by Tinubu and the APC; a clear acceptance of electoral defeat which apparently accounts for the APC’s presidential candidate’s decision to boycott the signing of the National Peace Accord by presidential candidates in the 2023 elections,” the party said
The party said it was apparent and disturbing that the APC presidential candidate had not issued any caution against the many acts of violence linked to members of his party.
“His body language and comments suggest the condoning of the ongoing violence on our electoral process.
“Of course, the London meeting where Tinubu directed his party members to unleash violence on Nigerians was a closed-door event that inadvertently leaked to the public. The aim of the APC was to hit our nation with violence and mislead security agencies to direct their investigation on criminal elements and social restiveness, instead of the real culprit, the APC.
“The design is to create tension across the country to validate a narrative that elections cannot hold, then orchestrate a Constitutional crisis with a view to justifying a shifting of the elections and perpetuate certain APC elements in office beyond May 29, 2023,” the party alleged
The party said the recent alarm raised by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on the several attacks on INEC’s facilities as widely reported in the media further confirmed their stand.
The party however quoted INEC has said that, “Since the 2019 general elections, up till 2022, we have recorded 50 attacks in 15 States of the federation, but the ones we recorded in 2022 are the ones we consider as systematic and coordinated and these are the ones that are targeted at derailing the preparations of the Commission from conducting a free, fair, transparent and credible elections.
“If these attacks go into January and February, it may be difficult for us to recover from these attacks. This is because if you look at Section 134 of the Constitution, it has threshold that a candidate must meet before that candidate can be declared winner of any election”.
The PDP then alerted security agencies to take immediate steps to investigate and stop the APC on what it described as “vicious plot” to derail the democratic process.
The opposition party also asked INEC to as a matter of urgency invoke its regulatory powers and impose sanctions on the APC Presidential Candidate for constituting a clear and present danger to the electoral process.
“Our Party also calls on the International Community to impose strict sanctions including travel restrictions on APC leaders found culpable of instigating and encouraging violence in the electoral process.
“The PDP again demands that President Muhammadu Buhari should call Asiwaju Tinubu and his Party members to order so that Nigerians can peacefully choose their next President through a free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process.
“The choice of who becomes the President of Nigeria rests on the Will of the people through the free exercise of their votes and the APC Presidential Candidate should come to terms with the resolve of Nigerians to vote in the PDP Candidate, Atiku Abubakar as the next President.
“Asiwaju Tinubu must accept the fact that Atiku Abubakar, is more popular and possess the competence, requisite experience, presence of mind, mental alertness, physical stamina and political will that Nigerians earnestly yearn for in a leader at this critical time.
“We therefore call on Nigerians not to succumb to the proclivities of the APC but remain resolute in defending our democratic process and rallying with the PDP in our mission to Rescue, Rebuild and Redirect our nation from the suffocating government of the APC,” Ologunagba added