The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says report detailing the devious manipulations and engineering of disinformation in the 2019 general election by an Israeli firm named Archimedes, has exposed the All Progressives Congress, APC as schemers and real enemies of the nation’s democracy and national cohesion.
The report by United States think tank, Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, which analyses misinformation online, said some sample posts removed from Facebook appeared to praise President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC and smear his leading opponent, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of PDP.
The PDP, in s statement last night by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the revelation exposed the APC as a fraudulent and violent-loving party.
The PDP said the APC’s alleged divisive activities were directly threatening the security and stability of the nation.
“Indeed, the Buhari Presidency and the APC should hide their faces in shame as Nigerians have seen that their professed sanctimony and ‘holier-than-thou’ claims are mere masquerading.
“Our party notes that there are more damning revelations against the APC, not only on its rigging of the general election, but also on how it is working against our nation, which will come to light at the appropriate time.
“The APC, which engaged in manipulation to foist itself, will do anything, no matter how vile, to sustain itself in office, not minding the social, economic and collateral damages such could cause our dear nation.
“It is however, to say the least, despicable that in their desperation to hold on to power at all costs, President Buhari’s handlers and the APC engaged in this sneaky disinformation, internet lies and smear campaigns against PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
“It is also unpardonable that instead of owning up, the Federal Government and the APC, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, are seeking to cover their tracks and divert public attention from their devious acts by making unsubstantiated security allegations against our party and Atiku Abubakar.
“The Facebook revelation exposes how President Buhari, in his claimed integrity, allowed the enlisting of criminals, hackers and internet fraudsters in the desperate attempt to manipulate the views of Nigerians against Atiku Abubakar; a scheme which failed as Nigerians had already made up their minds to do away with the incompetent, deceptive, vindictive and corrupt APC administration.
“Our party has information of how the APC had to resort to crude manipulation of the electoral process to muscle votes and alter election results after it failed in the smear campaign project.
“The APC has now commenced a renewed plot to engage in fabricated security accusations against the PDP and our presidential candidate in another desperate stunt to play the victim and divert attention from its endless election manipulations, all in the ill-fated attempt to demonize the PDP, hoodwink Nigerians and confer legitimacy on the outcome of the rigged election.
“Since the Facebook revelation, the Federal Government and the Presidency have suddenly gone dumb, having been exposed and shown in their true colours. However, the PDP holds to the eternal truth that no matter how lies appears to prevail, truth is bound to triumph at the end of the day,” the opposition party said.
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