Probe Military on Bayelsa election, PDP tells Buhari

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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ekiti State Chapter has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the Nigerian military on its involvement in the ballot snatching and violence that rendered Bayelsa State governorship election inconclusive if the military panel set up on Ekiti and Osun state governorship elections are not to be taken as mere witch hunt.

The party said that it had been vindicated that the military panel on Ekiti and Osun states was set up on sentimental interest rather than as a guide to democratic practice in Nigeria with the participation of the same military in the election materials snatching, thump printing and killing of PDP members that marred the Bayelsa State governorship election.

The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Jackson Adebayo, said in a statement that President Buhari should prove to Nigerians his sincerity on free and fair elections by asking the military why its men aided the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig election in the Southern Ijaw Local government area of Bayelsa State, after the military panel on Ekiti and Osun elections was put up to probe the activities of its men in election matters.

The PDP spokesman noted that if the military could probe the Ekiti and Osun elections where there was no record of killing, ballot snatching or mass thump printing of ballot papers, then that of Bayelsa State should be handled by a military tribunal to probe the wanton destruction of lives by soldiers just to rig for APC.

Adebayo maintained that “the President cannot stand aloof while the military under his administration have decided to join hands with his party to be rigging elections as witnessed during the inconclusive Bayelsa election while
at the same time, the Nigeria Army is probing its men that provided security that prevented rigging during the 2014 Ekiti State Governorship election.”

He reminded the President that Ekiti election was adjudged to be free and fair by both local and international observers.

Adebayo added that the President should not look the other way in a matter like this and his action should be urgent to prove his sincerity with Nigerians on every other matters, saying “if he doesn’t, he would be seen as giving a nod to the impunity of the military in the Bayelsa election.”

According to him, “the essence of the military probing the Ekiti and Osun election will become an exercise in futility and kangaroo arrangement if the President behaves as if what happened in Bayelsa was normal.”

Ekiti PDP however saluted the courage of the Bayelsans who despite the killing and assistance of the military in various electoral violence during the inconclusive election prevented the fraud to scale through, calling on them to be vigilant.