The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s threat to those plotting to snatch ballot boxes during the general elections.
Secondus said Buhari in his desperation to cling on to power had given marching order to the Nigerian military and the police to help leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in cowing the voters.
He stated that the President’s remarks at the APC’s caucus meeting amounted to a “declaration of war on Nigeria voters and a direct incitement against voters.”
In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Ike Abonyi, the PDP Chairman stressed that this is the first of its kind in Nigeria, “a President threatening the lives of her citizens.”
The National Chairman said that by the President’s directive, the top leaders of the APC have gotten sweeping order to move about with the military at their constituencies to harass and intimidate INEC staff and the opposition agents with a view to scaring them away to enable them use thugs perform their result replacement strategy.
He also alleged that the Minister of Transportation and Director General of Buhari’s campaign, Rotimi Amaechi had last Thursday, 48 hours to the rescheduled election entered Okirika in Okirika Local Government Area of Rivers State with a troop of soldiers moving like a General commander, ostensibly to scare away voters whom he knew were not going to vote for his party.
“The President’s confirmation that he has directed the service chiefs to kill Nigerians is nothing but a pre determined script hatched by the ruling party to create voter apathy and implement their result replacement plans using thugs protected by the military,” he said.
He said that President Buhari had never been sincere in conducting a free and fair election, an impression he confirmed by his refusal to sign the amended Electoral Act which would have facilitated a credible polling in the country.
The National Chairman expressed shock that a Commander in Chief who has been out of action in numerous security challenges in the country particularly needless killings in Benue, Plateau, Zamfara etc and whose regime has recorded unprecedented bloodletting in the country would suddenly wake up threatening brimstone to voters.
Secondus said: “In all democracies world over, elections are civil matter that is usually handled by civil security like Police and wondered why the involvement of our military in this matter when they have enough security challenges to tackle.”
The PDP boss wondered if the military belongs to Nigeria or Buhari and APC even as he advised the operatives to maintain professionalism in all their operations because history is recording.
Secondus said that instead of the President addressing serious fallout from the botched general elections last Saturday where his party members who acted as contractors to INEC played significant dubious roles, he chose to threaten innocent voters.
He said with the “mien of the President at their party’s caucus meeting, there is no remorse for the damage done to nation’s democratic credentials or the huge private and public resources wasted by the inability of APC hawks to allow the commission to operate.”
Secondus said the President’s action was all “tailored towards his dictatorial statement to the international media that nobody can unseated him but noted that he is not God as Nigeria people have already decided to unseat him with Atiku Abubakar noting that the voice of the people is the voice of God.”
He also urged the international community, especially local and foreign observers to the Nigeria election, to note the emerging undemocratic dispositions and threats from both the President and the APC.
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