The PDP raises alarm over an exposed plot by the All Progressives
Congress (APC) to unleash violence on the people and rig the re-run
election in Essien Udim Local Government of Akwa Ibom State slated for
Saturday.
The party says it already have intelligence on how a serving minister on
President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet has allegedly compromised a Deputy
Inspector General (DIG) of Police to deploy policemen to invade the
local government, unleash unbridle violence and manipulate the electoral
process in favour of the APC.
The said DIG allegedly promised the minister that with proper funding he
will do the same thing that was done in Bayelsa in favour of the APC
during the November 17, 2019 governorship election.
As part of the strategy, the DIG reportedly promised to deploy a more
senior police Commissioner than the one in Akwa Ibom State to take
charge of the command of policemen posted for the election in the local
government area and that when that senior police commissioner comes even
the State Police Commissioner will be under his command.
The plot, which is being heavily funded by the serving minister, also
seeks to transfer the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr
Mike Iginni and replace him with a pliable and already compromised
official.
This is to be carried out even when there is a subsisting order of the
FCT High Court restraining the redeployment of Mr. Mike Igini from Akwa
Ibom State pending the determination of the case which is still pending.
Our party invites Nigerians to note the desperation of the serving
minister to throw Akwa Ibom State into a needless crisis because he has
realized that the people at the grassroot have rejected the APC and that
there is no way the APC can win in any free, fair and credible election.
We are concerned about the plot to deploy huge number of policemen into
a local government and put them under the control of such an officer as
a DIG is extremely suspect, as past experiences across the nation had
shown that such deployments to violent confrontations, killings, maiming
and massive intimidations of voters that only aid election riggers and
other anti democratic forces to compromise electoral processes.
Our party is worried because there is no way the people of Essien Udim
Local Government as well as Akwa Ibom State in general, will sit by,
fold their hands and watch compromised security agents invading their
communities to rig elections for any desperate politician, without a
corresponding resistance.
Any attempt by the APC to invade the local government to rig this
election will indeed attract dire consequences.
The PDP therefore calls on the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed
Adamu, to avert an imminent crisis by immediately reining in his Deputy
Inspector General from going ahead with this ignoble mission as the
police will be held responsible for any death or mayhem arising from
this re-run election in Akwa Ibom State .
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary
