PDP warns Buhari, APC against electoral fraud in N/Delta

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to steer clear of its strongholds, particularly in the Niger Delta region, and jettison all pre- planned violence and electoral fraud ahead of the governorship and state assembly elections.

The party affirmed that this is the only way to avert widespread crisis not only in the region but in the entire country.

It likewise called on Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to drop their party’s thoughts of using thugs to muscle the Akwa-Ibom state governorship and state assembly elections, as the people have been fully rallied for a firm resistance on Saturday.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan advanced the party’s position in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.

The PDP’s position was predicated on an alleged on-going heavy shipment of security forces and armed thugs into PDP strongholds, particularly, the Niger Delta region, with the view to suppress voters and manipulate the March 9 electoral process for the APC.

He said that “since the robbery of the PDP’s presidential mandate, which Nigerians are determined to reclaim at the tribunal, the APC has been jittery over the escalated public support for the PDP not only to retain our states but also to ensure a sweeping victory for PDP in APC states across the country.

“As a result, the APC is desperate to unleash violence in oil rich Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Bayelsa, Abia, as well as Benue, Taraba, Gombe, Sokoto, Enugu, Ebonyi, Kwara states, but these states and all other strongholds of the PDP, spanning across our nation, remain impregnable.”

The PDP said that Nigerians are still livid over the rigging of the February 23 Presidential election, which was clearly won by Atiku Abubakar, warning that any further attempt to test the collective will of Nigerians on March 9 is capable of sparking off a huge civil restiveness across the nation.

“We invite Nigerians to note how Osinbajo, on Tuesday, at a town hall meeting in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom state, boasted that he and Oshiomhole will ensure that the APC will never be defeated and how thugs, loaded in over 50 buses, who confessed to have been contracted by Oshiomhole, were later intercepted on their way from Edo state to Akwa-Ibom to cause mayhem during Saturday’s election.

“The PDP has full information on various secret locations in Akwa-Ibom state, including hotels and other camps, where the APC has quartered thugs ahead of Saturday’s election. We note that the police have refused to evacuate these thugs, but let it be known that the people of Akwa Ibom state will never allow them to operate,” he said

The PDP therefore, cautioned the APC as well as INEC and security agents to bear in mind that Akwa-Ibom and all Niger Delta states are incontrovertible PDP strongholds where the APC do not have any genuine followership and that anybody attempting or supporting any forceful take – over of any PDP stronghold should be aware that he or she is doing so at his or her own peril.