From Fred Itua, Abuja
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday raised the alarm over alleged plots by some people to scuttle the forthcoming Area Council elections in the nation’s capital.
This comes a few days to Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Briefing newsmen in Abuja, PDP Director of Publicity, PDP chairmanship candidate campaign for Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Emmanuel Inyang, alleged that intelligence report has revealed that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) was working to scuttle the success of the polls.
While calling on the police and other concerned authorities to take action to avoid any violence that could disrupt the arrangement already made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he alleged that certain governors of the ruling party had been drafted into the sinister plot.
Inyang revealed that there are plans to import thugs from neighbouring states of Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi, for the purpose of disrupting the February 12, polls.
Speaking further, he said relevant authorities and the INEC must act fast so as to gain the trust of residents and genuine electorates in the forthcoming election.
He expressed concern that should various relevant security agencies fail to stop the plot, residents and electorates may be scared away, thereby, recording a very low turnout on the day of elections.
Inyang alleged that a plot to scuttle the success of the polls follows the intra-party crises rocking the party which had put them at a disadvantage position.
He said that the FCT elections will serve as a litmus test for the offseason elections and the 2023 general election, to be conducted by INEC.
‘We are happy that FCT residents are really eager to vote. We are aware from the security report reaching us that there are a group of people planning to recruit thugs to ensure that on the day of the election, after voting, people come in to disrupt the process,’ he said.
‘We want to plead with the security agencies to ensure that security is maintained on, before and after the elections.
‘We don’t want anything that will bring the level of insecurity faced in other parts of the country to manifest in the Federal Capital Territory. We are happy with the security agencies haven’t kept the peace of this land and we want the peace to continue.
‘President Muhammadu Buhari needs a legacy to take home. The legacy is to ensure that there is credibility in our elections. They should ensure that the FCT election is free, fair and violence-free because we are aware that some persons have already planned that there will be violence on the day of the election. We are appealing to Nigerians not to be intimidated by anybody. They should come out en mass and vote for the preferred candidate.’