The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in reaction to alleged ‘comments, threats and incendiary actions’ by the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it may reconsider withdrawing its signatory in the national peace accord if no action is immediately taken to curb this trend.
It also urged the international community to immediately impose a travel ban on el-Rufai for allegedly issuing death threats to members of the global democratic institutions that are working for the nation’s peaceful, free and fair elections.
The party on this premise asked the National Peace Committee to immediately summon el-Rufai over his inflammatory remarks against peaceful elections in our country.
PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan said this while briefing newsmen and added, “PDP hold that any situation that seeks to allow the APC to abuse the tenets of the accord will definitely force our party to review our signatory to the peace process”.
In his words, “Nigerians are still ia shock over comments by the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who declared on a national television that members of the global democratic institutions that are working for a peaceful election in Nigeria will return to their countries in body bags. What a threat?
Ologbondiyan added that such undemocratic comments were directly inimical to a peaceful, free and fair 2019 polls.
Besides, the opposition party took exemptions to the recent redeployment of CP Kayode Egbetokun to Kwara state as police commissioner.
“Also of particular note is the plot to redeploy tha a former Chief Security Officer to APC leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, CP Kayode Egbetokun, as Kwara state Commissioner of Police”.
PDP alleged that Egbetokun has been handed the instruction to incite the people, cause pandemonium and pave the way for outright rigging in favour of President Buhari and all other candidates on the platform of APC.
Ologbondiyan affirmed that this development was in line with plans by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to effect a mass deployment of top security officers, particularly the police, to intimidate, harass and manhandle Nigerians that will not support the his self-succession bid.
Further, he maintained that Buhari has allegedly instructed security agents to aid APC thugs to snatch ballot boxes and orchestrate violence in the elections.
PDP recalled, “CP Kayode Egbetokun was posted to Lagos state by the disgraced former Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, to serve the same partisan interest and how that posting was stopped by the new IGP Adamu Mohammed. Now, he is being redeployed to Kwara state for the same ignoble plot.
“It is necessary to state that the PDP is a party of peace and we are committed to the peace accord.
“However, the deployment of the Kayode Egbetokun as Kwara CP directly negates the principle of the Peace Accord and can only hurt the fragile peace that currently exists in Kwara state”.
Also, the party reminded the acting Inspector General, Adamu Mohammed that his acceptability among Nigerians across party line was based on the pedigree, which was presented to Nigerians before his appointment.
PDP, therefore, asserted that Mohammed’s pedigree and exposure placed on him the responsibility to be just, firm, equitable and professional in the discharge of his duties and, not to allow his reputation to be mired in controversial political activities.
It, however, called on the National Peace Committee to note the infractions by the APC and its leaders to the peace accord, including the provocative shut down of all the stadia in Kano state by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, in order to frustrate the PDP Presidential campaign rallies in the state.
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