By Ishaya Ibrahim
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakabu Dogara, on Monday pushed back on the allegation by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) colluded with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to abort last Saturday’s elections.
Calling the allegation false, mischievous and inflammatory, Dogara said Oshiomhole’s claim was very surprising because the Federal Government controls every institution and agency involved in the electoral process, including the CBN, Nigerian Airforce, and Aviation authorities.
The Speaker equally called out President Muhammadu Buhari over his order to the military and police to kill anyone caught snatching ballot boxes.
Dogara said the president’s statement indicated that Nigeria’s democracy had become the victim of a full blown dictatorship, insisting that the call was a clear violation of Nigerian laws, which the president swore to defend and protect.
Dogara said this during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday on issues arising from the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections by INEC.
Below is a full text of the press statement
1. This press briefing is to call the attention of well meaning Nigerians and the international community to the incendiary statements made by President Muhammadu Buhari, and Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, national
chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national caucus
of their party, earlier today.
2. At the meeting the President said: “Anybody who decides to snatch
boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, may be that would be the
last unlawful action you would take. I have given the military and
police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks
he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to
disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own
life.”
3. Mr. Oshiomole also claims that the PDP was given prior notice of the
postponement of the elections.
4. In this context, we categorically deny these false claims and
unnecessary blackmail and regard the President’s statement as a call for
extra-judicial killings considering the fact that there are adequate
provisions in our laws to address electoral offenses.
5. These statements clearly indicate that our democracy has become the
victim of a full blown dictatorship, when one considers that a
democratically elected President would give a directive that is in clear
violation of the laws of the land which by his oath of office he is to
defend and protect.
6. Inview of this statement by the president, it is obvious that the
military has been given a central role and coopted into the conduct of
the election despite the fact that they have no constitutional role in
our electoral process.
7. It should be noted that our party chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, was
the first to call for an inquiry into why the elections were postponed
last Saturday. In reality, we support a genuine and transparent probe
into why the presidential and National Assembly elections could not
hold. We also hope that the president’s inflammatory statement is not a
threat aimed at intimidating the electoral commission.
8. We also strongly condemn Mr. Oshiomole’s false, mischievous and
inflammatory claims against our party, when he said INEC colluded with
PDP to abort last week’s elections. This is a very surprising statement
considering the fact that the Federal government controls every
institution and agency involved in the electoral process, including the
CBN, Nigerian Airforce, Aviation authorities amongst others.
9. From our position, we strongly believe that the deliberate delivery
of election materials to the wrong electoral centers, cancellation of
flights, and other actions that undermined the logistics arrangement of
INEC were deliberately done to sabotage and manipulate the process.
10. We are also very familiar with the pressure brought on INEC by top
government officials and APC leaders to go ahead with the elections
despite not being adequately prepared for the election. We are also
aware the APC wanted the INEC chairman to conduct elections in some
states and postpone in other states so as to have staggered elections.
It should also be noted that the areas that would have been affected by
inadequate delivery of materials were PDP strongholds
11. It is important to note that the APC in its usual manipulative
style is now shifting the blame on INEC leadership while absolving
itself and the other institutions of government under its control of any
blame.That is the common strategy that super villains always employ.
12. Obvioulsy, we know they are doing everything humanly possible to
discredit INEC, remove the chairman and stall the process conscious of
the fact that they cannot win this election.
13. Embarrasingly, this is the first time that we have witnessed a
ruling party play victim, which is a clear indication that they have
lost the plot. Evidently, their recent actions and statements clearly
show they are panicking and desperate to cling onto power, even when the
people have rejected them.
14. Also, opinion polls conducted by the APC, and other international
agencies clearly indicate that the APC will lose this election, anytime
it is conducted; we believe that is why they are resorting to desperate
measures of arm-twisting the electoral commission, undermining the
entire process and planning to unleash terror on the country.
15. Finally, let it be known that the PDP, with the support of every
well meaning Nigerian, will employ every legitimate means to resist
attempts by the APC and the Federal government to undermine and
compromise the electoral process and truncate our democracy.
16. The PDP believes in a united and democratic Nigeria and will
continue to do all within its means to protect the country, her people
and constitution from undemocratic elements.
17. We call on all Nigerians not to despair, but turn out en mass on
Saturday to vote and defend their votes. We also urge the international
community and their observers that are in the country to monitor the
election and be vigilant because their presence as impartial arbiters is
important in ensuring we have peaceful, credible, free, fair and
transparent elections. The security agencies are also enjoined to be
impartial and remain loquat to the constitution of the Federal Republic.
Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara
Speaker, House of Representives
Federal Republic of Nigeria