The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday cautioned that Nigerians would treat alleged All Progressives Congress (APC) thugs dressed in military uniform to assist it to rig the March 23 supplementary elections, as fake soldiers.
PDP’s position was predicated on claims by the Federal Government that
the soldiers who unleashed violence and alleged helped the APC to rig the
February 23 Presidential election were fake.
The party said it was ready to confront, resist and dismantle all rigging
machinery of the APC and consolidate on its already established victory
in the March 23 Supplementary Governorship elections.
“Our structure and followership in Sokoto, Kano, Adamawa, Plateau, Bauchi and Benue states have been fully rallied at all levels of polling and
collation process to resist any attempt by anybody to manipulate for the
APC,” PDP said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
The statement read in part:
“It is instructive to state that the PDP already has full information of
how the APC is moving huge sums of money in the attempt to bribe
officials of INEC to manipulate the electoral process.
“This is in addition to reports of how the APC has been sending its
agents to promise money to voters and how such overtures are being
rejected by the voters.
“The PDP also has full details of how APC has sent network jammers to the
states where supplementary elections are scheduled to hold as well as
how they have paid thugs to cause confusion on the day of election and
snatch ballot boxes, having realized that it has no chance in the
supplementary polls.
“The PDP wants the APC and its candidates to note that their ignoble
schemes are already known and that our party is standing shoulder to
shoulder with the people of these states to defend our votes.
“In this regard, all our agents, members and supporters have been
equipped to closely monitor all the electoral processes, from the
accreditation of voters, voting and collation of results, ensure that
all results delivered at the polling units be immediately posted on INEC
website and use all legitimate means to firmly resist any attempt by the
APC to alter the results.
“The PDP cautions those engaged by the APC to cause confusion and snatch
ballot boxes to steer clear of the processes, as they will be doing so
at their own peril.
“The party therefore charges Nigerians in the constituencies where
supplementary elections have been scheduled to come out en-masse to vote
and use all legitimate means to defend their votes to the very end.”