2019: PDP rejects INEC’s move to accommodate APC in Rivers

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) totally and vehemently
rejects contemplations by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to accommodate the All Progressives Congress
(APC) in the general elections in Rivers state.

PDP’s position is predicated on the unacceptable and
compromising suggestion by INEC, through its National Commissioner
and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus
Okoye, that certain circumstances could lead to the postponement of
election, in Rivers State, to accommodate the APC, which currently
do not have candidates in the elections, following the quashing of
its congresses in the state by the Court.

Such suggestion by INEC is distasteful and only points to a
collusion with the APC in its plot to stalemate electoral processes
in some strategic states to pave the way to postpone elections in
such states and use compromised security forces to effect massive
rigging, as was the case in the 2018 Ekiti and Osun states
governorship elections, a scheme, which will be firmly resisted by
Nigerians in the 2019 general elections.

Currently, the APC is not on the ballot and has no candidates
for the governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and
State Assembly elections in Rivers and Zamfara states following the
voiding of the APC congresses in these states by the court.

In line with this reality, the ballot paper in all elections in
Rivers and Zamfara states must, under no circumstance, bear the
logo of the APC.

The PDP insists that INEC must base all its actions and
contemplations for the elections on this reality and should under
no circumstance predicate any action on a hypothetical
condition.

It is also important for INEC to know that Okoye’s advocacy for
the APC detracts from the commission’s neutrality and exposes it as
a compromised umpire.

The PDP therefore charges the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood
Yakubu, to be appropriately guided in the conduct of the general
elections.

Unlike the APC, our party is fully prepared for the elections
and will never allow the APC and some compromised INEC officials to
manipulate the elections, just because the APC has seen that it has
no chance of winning.

The PDP therefore calls on all Nigerians to unite in
condemnation of this cowardly scheme by the APC in its bid to foist
itself back to power against their collective will as a people.