By Tunde Opalana
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the arrest and prosecution of the former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state, Isaac Kekemeke over his boasts in a viral video, that the APC will use violence to rig the October 10 governorship election in Ondo state, Daily Times gathered.
The party charged the Ondo state governor and governorship candidate of the APC, Rotimi Akeredolu, to speak on the allegation that he was behind the violent attacks against the PDP campaign in the state.
The PDP also demanded the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to respond to the boasts by Kekemeke that “federal might” will be engaged to suppress Nigerians and illegally change the outcome of elections for the APC.
Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP National Publicity Secretary said in a statement on Monday that the cowardly brag by Kekemeke has further left no one in doubt that Governor Akeredolu and the APC have lost their foothold in Ondo state and will resort to thuggery, violence and voter suppression, seeing that there is no way they can win in the election.
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“The confession also exposes the fact that the APC had never won any election but only deploys the instrument of electoral manipulations including violence, ballot snatching, rigging, bloodletting and use of compromised security operatives to suppress voters and grab power as witnessed in Kogi, Kano, Ekiti, Osun as well as the 2019 Presidential election, among others.
“The people of Ondo state were shocked when Kekemeke exposed Governor Akeredolu, as being behind the electoral violence in the state, including the wanton destruction of PDP campaign materials as well as APC’s plans to use armed thugs and militants to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens of the state, just because they have rejected a non-performing government.
“In celebrating the vandalizing of PDP campaign posters and bragging that the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, who has the backing of the majority of the people of Ondo state, Kekemeke did not only indict his party but also exposed APC’s morbid fear for Jegede and PDP’s soaring popularity in the state, hence the resort to violence.
“Moreover, Kekemeke’s boasts that Governor Akeredolu is the one currently unleashing violence on the PDP candidate and bragging of help from the Federal Government and the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, further shows that Governor Akeredolu is not on the ground and cannot win in a free and fair contest.
“Furthermore, it is distressing that despite Kekemeke’s AK47 boasts and open threats of deploying guns for the Ondo governorship election, he has not been pulled in by any security agencies for questioning and prosecution.
“Our party demands for the arrest and immediate prosecution of Isaac Kekemeke by the security agencies as well as an invitation to Governor Akeredolu to explain his alleged role in the political violence being witnessed in the state”, the statement read.
The party also invited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately invite both Kekemeke and Governor Akeredolu for questioning after being aware of those plotting mayhem in Ondo state.
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