National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement that he would have used the Military to undermine the electoral process in the build up to the 2019 General Elections if he desired.
Secondus described the statement as unfortunate, stressing that it was unbecoming of a President who claim to have gotten majority of the votes in 2015 to insinuate compromising the integrity of his re-election in 2019.
He stated that the statement by Buhari gives credence to allegations that his re-election in 2019 was via the military and the undermining of the democratic process.
“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. The basic truth known to all Nigerians was that he used the military to retain power. He did not win the presidential election.”
The PDP National Chairman said it was a sad commentary that Buhari could contemplate using security agencies to undermine the electoral process.
“The presence of the military was more than the voters at the polling stations. Never before had military presence been felt at polling stations as was the case in the 2019 presidential election.”
He added that Nigerians were aware that in the 2019 Presidential election, such despotic and oppressive tactics were deployed to circumvent the electoral process and the wish of the citizens.
“As a party, the PDP hopes this is not a foreplay of what the APC and the Buhari presidency are planning to exert in the Edo and Ondo governorship elections scheduled for September and October 2020, respectively?” he stated.
Secondus also alleged that Nigerians witnessed the overrunning of Ekiti, Osun, Kogi, Bayelsa, and Kano states by APC during elections in those states, using compromised security officials and thugs.
In Kogi State, for instance, he alleged, a police helicopter was used to disperse the electorate, who were on the queue to perform their civic duties on Election Day. He also recalled that Mrs. Salome Abuh, a frontline PDP woman leader, was burnt to death by members of APC in the Kogi State election and till date, no member of the president’s party had been interrogated or arraigned for her murder.
Secondus said Nigerians had never witnessed the level of electoral impunity seen under the Buhari administration.
But the PDP chairman said the president must advise his party to allow INEC to carry out its responsibilities without interference in Edo and Ondo states.
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