August 15, 2018
Press Statement
PDP Replies APC, Insists On Dismantling Ruling Party’s Rigging Machine
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says no threats or smear campaign
will make it buckle on its resolve to contend with the All Progressives
Congress (APC) and dismantle its rigging machinery in all future
elections.
The PDP notes that the APC had, in its statement on Wednesday, already
admitted that it had been engaged in rigging of elections, sponsoring of
violence, ballot snatching and announcing of fake results, for which it
has become notorious among Nigerians.
It is a settled fact that though truth can be suppressed for a season,
it will always have a way of showing itself to the light. The APC, in
its own statement, has owned up to electoral contrivances and openly
admitted that it blatantly rigged last Saturday’s National Assembly
bye-election where results were altered in its favour, ballot boxes were
snatched, Nigerians were harassed, intimidated and even killed.
The APC in its own words alluded to ‘crude election rigging methods such
as ballot snatching and announcement of concocted election results’
which it confirmed as “recently displayed during last weekend
bye-election in Kogi state”, where it was illegally declared winner.
We are therefore happy that having called them out, the APC leaders,
apart from admitting their guilt of electoral malfeasance, have demanded
for a probe into our move to dismantle their rigging machine. We welcome
this demand and further request that the probe should be done in the
open, so that we can expose APC’s rigging machine for the world to see.
Such a probe will also provide the PDP our long awaited opportunity to
expose the compromised INEC officials, security agents and agencies as
well as fake observers used by the APC to rig elections. The PDP will
show evidence of how the APC deployed thugs to unleash violence; used
security forces to intimidate, arrest and detain PDP supporters; the
cancellation and alteration of results where PDP won, allocation of fake
results for the APC and outright declaration of concocted results to
suit the whims of APC.
The PDP has all the facts and will never allow them to play out again.
Regarding Osun governorship election, the PDP maintains that it will not
allow the APC to freely use its Ekiti and Edo rigging templates to
manipulate the process to its favour. No amount of propaganda and
distortion of our statement will deter the PDP from its stand to
confront and resist the APC, head to head and ensure that only the will
of the people prevail.
Moreover, the PDP has resolved to set up monitoring teams in all polling
centers and we will end all attempts by the APC to buy votes or snatch
ballot boxes as they did in Ekiti and the just concluded bye-elections.
While the PDP remains law abiding and will never engage in rigging, it
will, with all efficiency, dismantle the APC rigging machine and ensure
a free and fair election using all means available to members as free
citizens of Nigeria. This nation belongs to all of us and nobody, no
matter how highly placed, must arrogate himself the power to subjugate
others, particularly at elections. Enough is enough.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary
