The All Progressives Congress has dismissed claims that the President Buhari-led APC administration is oppressive and promoting impunity.
The party said the letter by the PDP to the German Chancellor, making these allegations was unfortunate and unbecoming of an opposition party.
The Acting National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, said this in response to PDP’s claims.
He said, “It is unfortunate that the opposition party has taken its pettiness to an embarrassing level. They now say and write lies which they disguise as being in opposition.
“The whole world knows that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration has performed better than the PDP when it was in power. This administration respects the rights of Nigerians and would not do anything to the contrary.”
However, the PDP charged Nigerians and the international community to hold President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress responsible, should there be violence ahead of the 2019 general elections or in the aftermath, as alerted by the United States Institute of Peace.
The party also urged world leaders and international bodies to immediately caution the Presidency and the APC, so that their alleged electoral desperation would not result in a large-scale political and humanitarian crisis in our country.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday that the independent report by USIP, which allegedly detailed the plots by the ruling party to “use intimidation tactics” in the electoral process, has vindicated the PDP stand that the APC has been stoking the embers of violence, having realised that Nigerians have rejected it and that it will lose in any credible, free and fair election.”
Ologbondiyan said, “The use of violence and intimidation by the APC in recent elections, including the Ekiti governorship election as well as recent bye-elections in Kogi, Bauchi and Katsina states, further validates USIP’s report on the violent proclivities of the APC.
“Besides, USIP’s direct caution to the Independent National Electoral Commission over its manifest credibility doubts to deliver credible election also places a huge moral burden on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, given its exposed clandestine meetings between officials of the commission and some APC leaders on ways to rig the elections.
“While the PDP expresses worry over the desperation of the APC as reflected in the USIP report, our party calls on all Nigerians and friends of our nation to rally in unity against the machinations of the APC, a party that has shown itself to be against the unity and stability of our country.
“Moreover, Nigerians are already decisive on a peaceful and united country, where compatriots live harmoniously and will do all to resist the divisive machinations of the APC, particularly ahead of the 2019 general elections.”
Furthermore, he said both President Buhari and the APC should know that no amount of intimidation and harassment could break the will of Nigerians in their iron-cast resolve to allegedly rally on the platform of the PDP to free the nation “from the oppressive grips of the incompetent and anti-democratic Buhari-led APC administration.” (Punch)
