Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged eminent Nigerians to speak up over what it termed Nigeria’s steady descent into dictatorship.
The National Chairman, Uche Secondus, who made the claim of conspiracy of silence at the opening of an expanded caucus meeting of the opposition party, yesterday, in Abuja, said it was unfortunate that while the country is slipping into a full blown dictatorship, eminent personalities in the country, as well as the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee were quiet.
At the meeting convened by the PDP leadership to review the outcome of the February 23 presidential, Secondus also accused leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of celebrating alleged criminality and rigging of the February 23 presidential poll.
He noted that the opposition party and its presidential candidate were resolute in their resolve to challenge the result of the election.
“The decision to go to court has been finalised and the process is on. The lawyers have been assembled. We may be in court today or tomorrow. No one can stop us.
“No matter the propaganda of APC, we will seek justice till the last drop of our blood. We believe justice will be done and God almighty will give us justice. No matter what anyone will do or what the APC will say, we will seek justice to the highest court of the land.
“What happened on February 23…never has it happened in our country that INEC (the Independent National Electoral Commission) will be compromised and the security agencies will be involved in our election that is purely a civilian matter. I want the entire world to know that what happened on the (February) 23rd, has never happened in our history.
“All Nigerians and leaders of Nigeria are aware of what happened and the leaders are not talking. If we don’t talk against evil, one day evil is going to consume everyone. Those who are democrats on the other side are celebrating criminality. They are celebrating manipulation. They are celebrating rigging. All these rigging and manipulation will consume them one day.”
Secondus further stated: “INEC chairman may think that all is well. President Buhari, you may also think that all is well. People are clapping hands. But history is being recorded. How will history judge you? How will the next generation judge you?
“INEC and its adhoc staff are intimidated and everyone is quiet. We will nosedive and go deeper and deeper into the situations we find ourselves.”
He noted that with what happened in the February 23 presidential poll, there might be no election in 2023 “because if you have the military, you don’t need the people. All you need to do is to make announcement.”
The PDP said it was imperative for INEC to let Nigerians know if they are to expect the same alleged manipulation of the February 23 presidential poll during the March 9 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, the party has vowed to petition the United Nations (UN) and other international democratic institutions over the role of the military during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections.
The party spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this at the end of an expanded caucus of the opposition party, yesterday, in Abuja.
He said while the caucus commended Nigerians for refusing the alleged harassment, intimidation and militarisation of the electoral process and participating in the elections, it also mandated party leadership to do everything permissible within the nation’s legal system to “get back our mandate on behalf of Nigerians.”
Fielding questions from journalists, Ologbondiyan explained that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House of Representatives and the 13 governors elected on the party’s platform, could not attend the caucus meeting because of their involvement in electioneering for the March 9 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
“They were not absent. To say they were absent is to say there were no apologies. I want to emphatically state that many of our governors are in the election coming up on Saturday and they have slated rallies ahead of the election. As you know, even the president of the senate is also campaigning in Kwara.”
“On the forthcoming governorship election, we decry the militarisation of the South-south and the rigging which the APC is plotting ahead of the election. We urge Nigerians to come out enmass and participate in the election and ensure they vote for the candidates of the PDP.”
The party, he said, would continue to study and follow the situation as they arise.
“Caucus further raised issues about the harassment, intimidation and cajoling of our members on the plot by the Buhari presidency as well as APC to intimidate the former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the resolve of the PDP to go to court by insisting, blackmailing and saying that he should not go to court. We insist that our party and our candidate have resolved to seek legal redress on the stolen mandate.