The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating violence across the county, with intention to disrupt the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
Spokesperson of the party, Debo Ologunagba, at a press conference, yesterday, in Abuja, decried the upsurge in attacks on facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) saying the masterminds sought to frustrate the electoral umpire from conducting next year’s polls.
The PDP said in response to this directive, APC leaders and members have activated plots to derail the electoral process through orchestrated violent attacks in various states of the country.
The party said the target was to trigger a nationwide security emergency situation, instill fear and make it appear in-conducive to conduct elections in the country.
“Part of the plot is the current attacks on the facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in various parts of the country as witnessed in Ogun, Osun and Imo States where sections critical to the conduct of elections particularly those connected to the collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were targeted and destroyed. Also, our party has been made aware of plans by the APC to orchestrate attacks in other states particularly Kogi and Delta, some states of the South East as well as parts of the North with the view to subverting the electoral process in as many states as possible.”
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“They design it to create tension across the country to validate a narrative that elections cannot hold, then orchestrate a constitutional crisis with a view to justifying a shifting of the elections and perpetuate certain APC elements in office beyond May 29, 2023.”
The opposition spokesman, while calling on the security agencies to investigate the APC over the attacks on INEC offices, noted that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC boss, stated recently that if attacks on its offices continue till January and February, the commission may not be recover from them.
He said intelligence at the disposal of the opposition party indicated that attacks on INEC facilities were aimed at preventing newly registered voters from collecting their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVCs), destroying the PVCs, as well as cripple the capacity of INEC to conduct free elections.
Ologunagba alleged there was a nexus between the charge by APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, to his supporters in London, that power is not served ala carte and the increase in attacks on INEC facilities.
He recalled that the APC candidate, in a closed-door meeting in London with his supporters, earlier this month said: “Political power is not going to be served in a restaurant, it is not served a la carte. It is what we are doing, it is being determined, you do it at all cost, fight for it, grab it, snatch it and run with it.”
“The PDP, therefore, alerts the security agencies to take immediate steps to investigate and stop the APC on its vicious plot to derail our democratic process. The PDP again demands that President Muhammadu Buhari should call Asiwaju Tinubu and his party members to order so that Nigerians can peacefully choose their next president through a free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process.
“The choice of who becomes the president of Nigeria rests on the will of the people through the free exercise of their votes and the APC presidential candidate should come to terms with the resolve of Nigerians to vote in the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar as the next president,” PDP said.
On Sunday night, a fire broke out at the European Union headquarters in Bangui, while police stated that the incident may have been “an intentional act”.
