We’ve not zoned 2023 presidency slots – PDP

…Says no division among its Govs, political terrorists after Gov Wike

Against media report of crack in the leadership rank of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over zoning of its presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 presidential election, the party has denied knowledge of such scheming.

The party said the rumoured brewing crisis among party organs is nothing but plans of PDP detractors to drag the party in the mud.

This is as the PDP denied thick plot to subvert ambitions of some of its Governors, especially Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, ahead of 2023.

The PDP described reports in a section of the media suggesting that the party plots to retain the zoning of its presidential slot in the North East and South East, as merely speculative.

Party spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, at a press briefing on Sunday, said “those behind the reports are political terrorists whose plan is to mislead the public and cause disaffection within the ranks of our party with the hope of using such fabrications to further their own selfish political ambitions”.

The PDP stated categorically that “our governors are not divided along any lines of ambition towards 2023, neither is there any plot to stop the ambition of any of our members.

“For the avoidance of doubt, our party is yet to discuss the 2023 presidential election, overtly or covertly, at any time whatsoever”.

He said the PDP is currently preoccupied with how to win its elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states and will not be distracted.

Ologbobdiyan said: “As a party, we are also working with our respective state governors and legislators across the country as they work hard, in line with the manifesto of our party, to improve on the welfare and development of Nigerians.

“Moreover, it is also imperative to counsel, without any equivocation, that enemies of our party, who feel threatened by the rising profile of Governor Nyesom Wike, should have a rethink on their incessant attacks on the governor.

“The PDP appreciates the contribution of Governor Wike, as well as all our governors, to the growth of our party and urge all members and supporters to ignore those seeking to cause disaffection in our ranks”.

In another development, the party said true to its fear, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) government in Kogi State has started clamping down on opposition especially PDP members ahead of the November 16 gubernatorial poll.

Recall that last Thursday, October 31, 2019, the PDP alerted of the heinous plots by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to clampdown on key leaders in the state as well as unleash violence on the people, for their decision not to vote Yahaya Bello back to office.

Giving an update on last week allegations by the party of plot by the Yahaya Bello administration to harass, intimidate and detain 30 identified leaders of the PDP, the party in unequivocal terms, demanded an immediate and unconditional release of innocent Nigerians, including PDP’s Head of Security in Dekina Local Government, Mr. Edeh Abutu, who was reportedly abducted by the Governor Yahaya Bello’s All Progressives Congress (APC) on trumped up charges and taken to unknown destination where they are believed to be under torture.

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The PDP national publicity secretary said: “We have called you today to notify Nigerians that the APC has commenced the clampdown and punishment of innocent citizens of Kogi State, having realised that the people are not ready to change their resolve to kick out the incompetent, corrupt and disdainful Bello administration.

“The APC, out of desperation, has started framing and arresting innocent Nigerians, harassing and victimising women and youths, blocking peoples’ means of livelihood and issuing threats on the citizenry, all in the failed bid to inject crisis, derail the electoral process and manipulate the outcome of the polls.

“Only yesterday, the APC, using, some hoodlums and compromised security agents, led by Bello’s illegitimate deputy governor, Edward Onoja, arrested the PDP head of security in Dekina Local Government, Mr. Edeh Abutu, over trumped up charges of possession of firearm.

“It is instructive to state that Abutu had been threatened with arrest and frame-up, several times, by the APC; attacked and harassed on numerous occasions before he was finally framed and abducted by the APC after he pulled a gargantuan crowd for our governorship campaign rally in Dekina.

“The PDP has been made aware of how APC thugs invaded his area of residence, traumatised and harassed citizens with gun shots and abducted Mr. Abutu to an unknown destination, after which the illegal deputy governor turned himself into the spokesman of the police by rushing to falsely claim that he (Abutu) made some confessional statement of being in possession of firearms.

“Information at our disposal shows that at the time the illegal deputy governor was publicising his fabricated confessional statement, there was no such record with the Police in Dekina or the State Police Command.

“Our party has also been informed of how the abductors, coordinated by an APC Zonal Chairman, took their victims to the Governor’s Lodge in Dekina as well as how the illegal deputy governor has been mounting pressure on the Commissioner of Police to adopt his fabricated statement against their victims.

“The PDP has also been made aware of plots to frame-up other PDP leaders with allegations of illegal possession of firearm, sponsoring of violence, training of thugs among others, as an attempt to intimidate the citizens as well as cover APC’s violence machination against the people of Kogi State”.

The PDP therefore cautioned the APC and Yahaya Bello to note that they are pushing the people of Kogi State to the wall.

“The forbearance of the people of Kogi State is being stretched to the threshold, that there is a limit to what they can bear and that they may soon no longer hesitate to unleash their indignation against forces of oppression.

“Already, the continuous detention of Edeh Abutu is mounting agitation among the people, particularly the youth, and the situation is capable of causing a crisis of unimaginable proportion in the state.

“The people of Kogi State have resolved that Yahaya Bello must go.

“Arresting, harassing and intimidating the citizens will not change anything. Rather it will increase the irreversible disaffection the people of Kogi State already have for the failed Governor Bello and his APC”.