Ekiti PDP Urges APC To Emulate President Jonathan on Conduct of Elections

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has admonished the All Progressives Congress (APC) to learn from the transparency of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP Federal Government in the conduct of elections, starting with the release of the results of the council polls in Lagos that was conducted three years ago.

The party, which described the APC as a party of hypocrites, said; “Nigerians should note that while President Jonathan, the PDP and many leaders of the party congratulated Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola on his last Saturday electoral victory, the APC and its leaders never congratulated Dr Ayodele Fayose, the winner of the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State.”

In a release issued today, and signed by the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, the party said “democracy will only grow in Nigeria if political party like the APC does what it preaches.”

Oluwawole, who said the APC lacks moral rights to complain about the conduct of any election, added that the party should first apologise to Lagosians for the electoral fraud it perpetrated in the Local Council elections of 2011, results of which the public has not seen till date.

While commending President Jonathan for living up to his promise of bequeathing to Nigeria, a legacy of free, fair and credible elections, the PDP said APC should also emulate the President by conducting free, fair and credible Local Council elections in the States controlled by the party.

Oluwawole said; “In 2011, Local Council elections were held in Lagos and up till today, no one has seen the results of the elections. Not only that, PDP was denied victory in Local Councils and Wards clearly won b the party.

“If our party and President Jonathan had behaved like the way APC did in Lagos, would the party have won elections in Edo and Osun States?

“And now, the tenure of the APC members elected fraudulently into Local Councils will expire in October, but because of fear of an impending electoral failure, Governor Babatunde Fashola is planning to extend their tenure by six months so as to avoid the conduct of election in October.

“Is it by openly manipulating Local Council elections as done by the APC in Lagos that democracy will grow in Nigeria? Or is Nigeria about the PDP-led Federal Government alone?

“Now that President Jonathan is leading by example by ensuring free, fair and credible elections, shouldn’t the APC also emulate this by conducting Local Council elections in the States controlled by the party and making sure that the elections are credible?”