He simply gave a link to the past “with regard to how the PDP that is now raising alarm used even soldiers in the pre, during and after elections in their own times. Don’t forget that what this opposition party are doing now is complaining against the normal security deployment that any serious government should do to avert violence the PDP are plotting to cause with the use of their hired militants. No opposition would organise a siege against itself as it happened in the National Assembly recently can ever be trusted to anything. Or how would they explain the use of soldiers for the arrest of Governor Rotimi Amaechi and impounding of aircraft in bids to stop APC governors in 2014 to attend Governor Fayemi’s mega rally in Ekiti while they allowed their own to enter the state freely and even well protected?” He asked.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decried what it termed the “unrelenting” use of security forces, including special police and military units by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for elections in the country.
PHOTO FILE: Picture showing PDP’s Governorship candidate in the pre-2014 election period, of extent to which PDP government was said to have used the forces in the past.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Monday, the PDP, whose government physically used soldiers for elections during its 16 in power, alleged that the use of security forces was rather “aiding rigging” of elections.
“Such brazen assault on the will of the people, particularly as witnessed in the last Saturday’s Rivers State Assembly bye-election, is completely provocative, incendiary and has an unlimited capacity to elicit violent resistance from the people and derail our hard-earned democracy, especially as we approach the 2019 general election.
“We invite Nigerians to note that the use of security agencies by the APC to aid the subjugation of the people has become a regular practice as amply witnessed in the July 14, 2018 Ekiti governorship election, the 2016 Edo state governorship election, the bye-elections in Kogi, Bauchi, Katsina and Cross Rivers and most recently, the River state Assembly bye-election, where special police units were used to manhandle voters, while providing cover for APC thugs to attack voters, snatch ballot boxes and disrupt the election.
“The APC, in its desperation, is resorting to this underhand means, because it knows that there is no way it can win in any peaceful and transparently conducted election in any part of the country, due to the public indignation against its dismal performance in the last three years.
PHOTO FILE: Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, in his official car, being arrested at Odudu community, Akure, on his way from Akure Airport to Ado-Ekiti, by soldiers to stop him from entering Ekiti to attend APC governorship campaign ahead of 2014 governorship election in the state.
“Our worry as a party, however, is that Nigerians are daily pushed to the wall and there is a limit to what they can endure, without resorting to violent resistance, particularly in the face of unrelenting subversion of their will and freedom to select leaders or representatives of their choice.
“The APC and its agents in the police and other security agencies should therefore bear in mind that they are on collision course with the people. Their eventual resistance, if such subversion continues, could come with very dire consequences.
“The PDP is aware that this resort to violence by the APC is to test-run its plans to rig the 2019 general elections and we ask, ‘what shall it profit a man to gain political power and set his nation ablaze?’
“The PDP cautions all those being used by the APC to know that history will never forgive them for these atrocities. They will forever be remembered for their ignoble past and have their places in the hall of shame,” the party said.
In the meantime, a respondent, Wale Ogunyemi speaking for his Concerned Citizens group in Lagos, has reacted to the PDP’s new concern, saying it was funny.
He simply gave a link to the past “with regard to how the PDP that is now raising alarm used even soldiers in the pre, during and after elections in their own times. Don’t forget that what this opposition party are doing now is complaining against the normal security deployment that any serious government should do to avert violence the PDP are plotting to cause with the use of their hired militants. No opposition would organise a siege against itself as it happened in the National Assembly recently can ever be trusted to anything. Or how would they explain the use of soldiers for the arrest of Governor Rotimi Amaechi and impounding of aircraft in bids to stop APC governors in 2014 to attend Governor Fayemi’s mega rally in Ekiti while they allowed their own to enter the state freely and even well protected?” He asked.
