The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s posturing that he would not manipulate the March 23 rerun polls is a confession that the Presidency used its overbearing influence to rig the February 23 presidential election.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement on Monday that Buhari’s statement was also a “fresh subterfuge to divert public attention from APC’s rigging plots” ahead of the supplementary elections.
The PDP also cautioned against the militarisation of rerun polls, adding that President Buhari cannot exonerate himself of the alleged harm inflicted on the nation’s polity by the deployment of soldiers for the 2019 general elections.
“The Presidency’s confession that APC members are mounting pressure on President Buhari to help them to rig the supplementary elections further confirms the Buhari Presidency’s manipulative and rigging capacity, including militarization of the electoral process, instigating of violence and alteration of results, as were freely used by the APC in the Presidential election.
“The PDP alerts Nigerians, especially those in states where the supplementary elections have been scheduled to hold, to be wary of the antics of the Buhari Presidency, as it has never been committed to free, fair and credible election.
“Now that President Buhari, in his official capacity, has come out to state that he will not intervene in the March 23 supplementary election; we ask, is Mr. President assuring Nigerians that any ‘soldier’ seen directly involving in the rerun election is fake and should be treated as such?
“The PDP charges the military to note the import of the statement by the Presidency and steer clear of the supplementary elections.
“The PDP also cautions INEC officials to note that Nigerians are very eager about the outcome of the governorship supplementary elections, given that the PDP is already leading in these states.
“Nigerians are not ready to accept any results that do not reflect the reality of our victory, which is already known to all,” the party said.
