Loading ...Recall in my last press conference I told you that we will be briefing
you from time to time on developments from last Saturday’s blatant rape
on our democracy.
Our Presidential flag bearer in the election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
spoke with you on Wednesday and the National Publicity Secretary of our
party has been interacting with you on daily basis.
I have therefore come to you again today in continuation of our
unearthing the brigandage of last Saturday which I have tagged ‘body bag
election’
When All Progressives Congress, APC, leaders were threatening foreign
election monitors with returning to their country on body bags we didn’t
know that they had designed the same thing for Nigerians.
As at the last count over 50 Nigerians have lost their lives last
Saturday most of them from the South South region where a division of
the army with their commander were turned on the people on the Election
Day.
For a regime that appears comfortable with blood, the deaths they
recorded during their campaigns were not enough as after their
contrived ballot box victory and stolen mandate, they still hired some
hoodlums and sent them to the streets to go and kill themselves and
further inconvenience the grieving Nigerians while celebrating their
electoral robbery ( May I crave your indulgence gentlemen of the press
for a minute silence for the repose of the souls of all Nigerians who
were murdered on the Election Day including the poor youths who were
lured with funds to go and die celebrating when the rest of the
citizens were grieving…….May their souls and that of the faithful
departed rest in peace. Amen. They remain martyrs of democracy.
You can see that the nation has been in a sorrow mood for our democracy
that was dragged down last Saturday, four years after the World stood up
for Nigeria for not only conducting a flawless election but for going
ahead in addition to have a seamless transition to an opposition party,
but we all are seeing the direct beneficiary of that rare democratic
disposition, General Muhammadu Buhari using the military to rob
Nigerians of their right to choose leaders of their choice.
Effect of Militarization.
The clear effect of militarizing the election particularly in the South
South and South East in addition to the killing of innocent electorates
was the obvious suppression of voters who were either scared out or
chased away. (Please see table)
Even by INEC own record voter turnout in last Saturday’s election fell
to about 36% from 44% it was in 2015.
Gentlemen of the press, you were in the field and witnessed the large
turnout of Nigerian electorate in comparison to that of 2015. The
military were dragged into the election to suppress and scare away
voters and facilitate rigging. That is how you hear ridiculously that
war torn Borno and Yobe states recorded higher percentage in voter torn
out than some states in the South South geo- political zone.
Shamelessly, they have again started mobilizing to use the same military
to forcefully take over for APC two PDP states in the South South and
one state in the South East.
Credible intelligence available to the party showed that the ruling
party’s main link in INEC met with party’s leadership as well as the
military to review the planned strategy to take over these states.
Kano, Borno, Yobe and Zamfra fraud.
While the military was suppressing voters in PDP strong hold areas in
the South, a different abracadabra was going on in some northern states
particularly in Kano, Yobe, Borno and Zamfara states where numbers
refuse to add up. In Borno, Yobe and Zamfara states confirmed report
shows that there was non compliance in the use of Smart card reader as
approved by INEC rules.
The backend Report from the card readers for the various local
Government areas in these states will this further.
In these states as in others, the data is inconsistent with the
accreditation of registered voters in the local Government Areas and
voting patterns witnessed in 2015.
The same applies to cancelled votes, in Nasarawa states over
115,000votes cancelled, Kogi 79,000 votes, Plateau 30,000 votes
indicating that these high incidence of vote cancellation were designed
to suppress the margin of victory in PDP strong holds.
Strangulating the Opposition.
As part of their strategy to ensure that PDP is distracted from pursuing
its stolen mandate, General Buhari’s regime has decided to intensify
their intimidation and strangulation of the opposition. Some prominent
members of the opposition have been put on surveillance and their names
listed to be stopped from traveling out of the country.
Gentlemen of the press, you can all see that we have arrived at the
place we never bargained for, full blown dictatorship and this is where
I urge you members of the press to stand up as you have always done
against this emerging despotism in our land before we become a laughing
stock in the global democracy family again.
As I end this press briefing, I present to you some graphs to buttress
the broad day robbery of our votes, may I also through you gentlemen of
the press urge our members and supporters across the country not to
despair but to remain steadfast and focused because like our
Presidential candidate assured, we shall triumph at the end because
democracy has come to stay in this country and is staying by the grace
of God.
I also wish to reiterate to our security agencies particularly the Army
that they are not at war with any section of her citizens and they must
try to be professional in their duties by staying away from election
matters as directed by the Supreme Court of the land.
Once again may I assure you that through you we will continue to brief
the country and indeed international community of the anti-democratibc
behaviors of the APC administration?
Thanks for your audience.
Prince Uche Secondus
National Chairman of PDP
