Lagos PVC Clash: Tinubu Afraid of Election – PDP; Says Nigerians Cannot be Deterred

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned the disruption by thugs in Lagos, of the PVC registration exercise.

The Alaba International Market Traders had shut down the market on Thursday to enable them go for their PVCs.  But they were attacked by scores of thugs who disrupted and so, aborted it.

In a reaction to the incident, the PDP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba said the attack was the handiwork of the AII Progressives Congress, APC, and its Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The PDP alleged that the exercise was disrupted because Tinubu is afraid of election. The Party warned the incident portends serious threat and danger to Democratic process.

It said: “Asiwaju Tinubu has been in morbid fear of the soaring popularity of the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, hence the attempt by the APC to stop Nigerians from obtaining their PVCs to vote in the elections; an action that portend serious threat and danger to our democratic process.”

Hereunder, the full text of the statement.

“Nigerians are disturbed by the dastardly action instigated by leaders of All  Progressives Congress (APC) to prevent citizens, particularly people of the South East region resident in Lagos State from collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) to enable them vote in the 2023 general elections.

“That action by the APC in Lagos is part of its desperate design to use violence to sabotage free, fair and credible elections in 2023 having realized that Nigerians have rejected its Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the polls.

“Asiwaju Tinubu has been in morbid fear of the soaring popularity of the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, hence the attempt by the APC to stop Nigerians from obtaining their PVCs to vote in the elections; an action that portend serious threat and danger to our democratic process.

“Is it not an irony that the party of the government of the day that pretends to have the support of the people and professes continuity is busy chasing away prospective voters?

“The APC is already suffering from Pre-Election Fever Syndrome in trepidation that it cannot win in a free, fair, credible and transparent process where Nigerians are allowed to freely express their Will.

“It is particularly disturbing that this pattern is a resurgence of previous attempt in 2019 where APC leaders harassed Nigerians, especially the people of the South East and threatened to throw them into the Lagoon should they vote for any other party other than the APC.

“It will also be recalled that similar act of violence was unleased on Nigerians in the Isolo axis of Lagos in the 2019 general elections, where the APC, upon discovering that it has been rejected at the polls, openly sponsored and unleashed terror on innocent citizens and destroyed all votes cast.

“The APC has again become chaotic and desperate because Nigerians have recognized it as what it is; a Special Purpose Vehicle which was hurriedly put together to defraud the nation.

“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC must know that they cannot surmount the determination of Nigerians who are now rallying on the platform of the PDP to use this 2023 general elections to take back their country from the stranglehold and misrule of the corrupt, incompetent, inhumane and rudderless APC.

“Our Party cautions Asiwaju and the APC to thread carefully and rein in their thugs, hoodlums and terrorists as they will be firmly resisted by Nigerians.”

However, not a few people insist that the disruption of the exercise was not because of Atiku, but because of the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, who most youths, country-wide, almost, are rooting for.

The Lagos incident sparked outrage and condemnation.