On Wednesday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had begun violent attacks to disrupt the conduct of the polls in accordance with the direction of their presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
Debo Ologunagba, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, made the claim during a news conference in Abuja.
He claimed it was to warn Nigerians and the international community about purported schemes by people he called “enemies of democracy” to sabotage and ultimately disrupt the holding of the 2023 general elections.
“We notify Nigerians that in line with the directive by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to his Party followers to utilize violence and seize power in the 2023 general elections, the APC, having recognized that it has been rejected,
“Nigerians can recall how the deflated and desperate Asiwaju Tinubu, at a closed-door meeting in London earlier this month, announced to his members that ‘political power is not going to be delivered in a restaurant, it is not served a la carte. It’s what we’re doing; it’s being determined; you do it at whatever cost; you fight for it, grasp it, take it, and run with it.’
“In response to this 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 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) facilities in various parts of the country, as witnessed in Ogun, Osun, and Imo States, where sections critical to the conduct of elections, particularly those related to the collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs),” the statement reads.
The PDP spokesman added that the main opposition party was informed of APC plans to coordinate attacks in other states, including Kogi and Delta; other South East states; and some regions of the North with the goal of undermining the electoral process in as many States as possible.
“Intelligence available to our Party indicates that the attack on INEC facilities is intended to prevent newly registered voters from picking up their PVCs; destroy the PVCs so they will not be available for collection in INEC offices; and thirdly, destroy INEC equipment and cripple its ability to conduct elections,” he continued.
Furthermore, the APC has introduced a highly unsettling aspect of “buying” PVCs from unaware Nigerians using financial
Additionally, the APC has added a very unsettling layer by “buying” PVCs from unaware Nigerians using financial inducements that pass for empowerment initiatives.
“In any event, our Party is not shocked by Asiwaju Tinubu and the APC’s use of violence; it is a clear admission of electoral failure, which appears to be the reason the APC’s presidential candidate chose to skip the signing of the National Peace Accord by candidates for the presidency in 2023.
It is clear and troubling that the APC presidential candidate has not warned against the numerous incidents of violence associated with party members. His actions and words give the impression that he is endorsing the ongoing assault against our election system.
Of course, the closed-door meeting in London when Asiwaju Tinubu instructed his Party members to use violence against Nigerians accidentally leaked to the public. In order to deceive security forces into focusing their investigations on criminal elements and societal unrest rather than the true offender, the APC, the APC set out to devastate our country with bloodshed.
The plan is to incite unrest throughout the nation in order to support the narrative that elections cannot take place, and then to fabricate a constitutional crisis in order to justify delaying the polls and keep some APC members in power past May 29, 2023.
Ologunagba recalled the concern expressed by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), regarding the numerous attacks on the public’s facilities that were widely publicized in the media and furthered our concerns.
Therefore, he warned the security services to act right away to look into and foil the APC’s nefarious attempt to undermine our democratic system.
The APC presidential candidate poses a clear and present danger to the electoral process, according to Ologunagba, who urged INEC to promptly use its regulatory authority and impose sanctions on him.
The PDP spokesman added, “Our Party also calls on the International Community to impose strong sanctions, including travel restrictions, on APC officials who have been proven guilty of inciting and condoning violence in the electoral process.
In order for Nigerians to peacefully elect their next president through a free, fair, transparent, and credible electoral process, the PDP once more requests that President Muhammadu Buhari summon Asiwaju Tinubu and members of his party to order.
“The decision of who will lead Nigeria rests on the Will of the People through the free exercise of their Votes, and the APC Presidential Candidate should accept that Nigerians are determined to choose Atiku Abubakar of the PDP as the country’s next leader.
“Asiwaju Tinubu must acknowledge that Atiku Abubakar is more well-liked and that he has the qualifications for the position of president of Nigeria—competence, the necessary background, presence of mind, mental alertness, physical stamina, and political will.
“We, therefore, urge Nigerians to resist the APC’s tendencies and to stand with the PDP in our goal to Rescue, Rebuild, and Redirect our country from the suffocating APC regime,” the PDP said.
