APC Condemns Election Shift , Blames PDP For Postponement

Festus Keyamo, a spokesperson for Mr Buhari’s reelection
campaign committee, also expressed sadness about the development,
and quickly heaped the blame on the PDP in a statement released
minutes after the announcement.

“We condemn and deprecate this tardiness of the electoral umpire
in the strongest terms possible.

“President Muhammadu Buhari had since cooperated fully with INEC
by ensuring everything it demanded to conduct free and fair
elections were promptly made available to it.

“This news is therefore a huge disappointment to us and to our
teeming supporters nationwide and around the world, many of whom
have come into the country to exercise their franchise.

“We do hope that INEC will remain neutral and impartial in this
process as the rumor mill is agog with the suggestion that this
postponement has been orchestrated in collusion with the main
opposition, the PDP, that was never ready for this election.

“We note that all the major credible demographic projections
have predicted a defeat of the PDP and it seriously needed this
breather to orchestrate more devious strategies to try and halt
President Buhari’s momentum.

“It did the same as the ruling Party in 2015, when it realized
the game was up, by orchestrating the postponement of the 2015
elections by six weeks. Now, it may be up to its old trick
again.

“We have earlier raised the alarm that the PDP is bent on
discrediting this process the moment it realized it cannot make up
the numbers to win this election. We are only urging INEC not
collude with the PDP on this.

“We are truly worried because as early as Friday morning, some
known PDP Social Media influencers unwittingly announced this
postponement, but quickly deleted the message and apologized to the
public that it was fake news,” Mr Keyamo said.

The spokesperson also urged Nigerians to support INEC in its
challenges, and prevent the commission from being compromised by
the opposition.

“We do not want to be forced to a situation of announcing our
total loss of confidence in INEC, because we know where that would
leave our democracy.

“It is in the light of the above that we wish to appeal to
Nigerians and our supporters to be patient, calm and resolute
despite this temporary setback.

“Let us not give anyone, especially the PDP, the opportunity to
plunge this nation into a crises, which is what they earnestly
desire. Its imminent defeat is just a few days away.

“Lastly, we wish to draw the attention of INEC and the world to
observe that the PDP has clearly and openly said it plans to
announce parallel results through some funny device it has procured
or developed.

“We wish to reiterate that it is only INEC that is legally and
constitutionally empowered to declare results and it constitutes an
offence for anyone to do so.

“We urge INEC to speak up now and warn the PDP to desist from
this ignoble act that is capable of plunging the nation into a
crises of immeasurable proportions,” he said.

Mr Keyamo did not attach any evidence to corroborate his claims
against the PDP or other opposition elements he accused in the
statement.

A spokesperson for the PDP did not immediately answer calls
seeking comments in the early hours of Saturday morning.