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Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
In the aftermath of the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said its flags will fly at half-mast at its national, state and local government secretariats across the country from Monday to Wednesday this week in honour of those killed in the elections.
The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, said the death of the victims of electoral violence in the two states will never be in vain.
The opposition party stated that after a review of the conduct of the elections in the two states, it has come to the conclusion that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led the Federal government does not want democracy to thrive in the country.
The party rejected the proposed Kogi West Senatorial rerun election, noting that it has already been desecrated by alleged manipulations in the main election.
“As long as the figures in the main election are fundamentally flawed, the proposed rerun cannot reflect the wishes of the electorate and Nigerians are wondering if it will make any sense to participate in an electoral process that is already deficient.
“Nigerians across the board have completely lost faith in the nation’s electoral process given that Independent National Electoral Commission under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has been annexed and cannot conduct any free, fair and credible election.
“For us in the PDP and, we believe, to majority of Nigerians as well, Professor Yakubu is the worst electoral umpire in the political history of our nation.
“Furthermore, the police and the military high commands have been reduced to tools of election brutality to ensure that votes do not count.
“Even the Police high command has openly admitted that the police is incapable of protecting voters and votes; thus validating the reported involvement of security agents in the brutalization of voters and disruption of the electoral process,” the PDP stated.
It added that “ there are reports in the public space that the APC-controlled Federal Government does not want Senator Dino Malaye in the Senate just because of his forthrightness in defending the interest of the people.
“Nigerians recall with shock how, at the presentation of the 2020 budget, Mr. President reportedly asked Senator Malaye “you, you mean you are still in this chamber?”. A question which it’s meaning cannot be farfetched.
“Our party has been made aware of how INEC and security apparatus have been instructed to use all means to stop Senator Dino from returning to the Senate. INEC had also blatantly refused to consider Senator Melaye’s petitions regarding the November 16 election.”
