The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has said that President Muhammadu Buhari in his desperation to cling on to power has given marching orders to the Nigerian military and Police to help leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in cowing voters.
Prince Secondus said that the President’s remarks at the caucus meeting of his party on Monday amounts to a declaration of war on the Nigerian electorate and a direct incitement against voters, the first of its kind in Nigeria, a President threatening the lives of her citizens.
The National Chairman said that by the President’s directive, the top leaders of the APC have gotten sweeping order to move about with the military at their constituencies to harass and intimidate INEC staff and the opposition agents with a view to scaring them away to enable them use thugs to perform their result replacement strategy.
Last Thursday, 48 hours to the rescheduled election, the Director General of the Buhari Campaign Organization and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi entered Okirika in Okirika local Government area of Rivers state with a troop of soldiers moving like a General commander, ostensibly to scare away voters whom he knew were not going to vote for his party.
” The President’s confirmation that he has directed the service chiefs to kill Nigerians is nothing but a pre- determined script hatched by the ruling party to create voter apathy and implement their result replacement plans using thugs protected by the military.
He said that President Buhari has never been sincere in conducting a free and fair election, an impression he confirmed by his refusal to sign the amended Electoral Act which would have facilitated a credible polling in the country.
The National Chairman expressed shock that a Commander in Chief who has been out of action in numerous security challenges in the country particularly needless killings in Benue, Plateau, Zamfara etc and whose regime has recorded unprecedented bloodletting in the country would suddenly wake up threatening brimstone on voters.
“In all democracies world over, elections are civil matter that is usually handled by civil security like Police and wondered why the involvement of our military in this matter when they have enough security challenges to tackle.
The PDP boss wondered whether the military belongs to Nigeria or Buhari and APC even as he advised the operatives to maintain professionalism in all their operations because history is recording their actions.
.According to a statement from his media office, Prince Secondus said that instead of the President addressing serious fallouts from the botched general elections last Saturday where his party members who acted as contractors to INEC played significant dubious roles, he chose to threaten innocent voters.
The National Chairman said that from the mien of the President at their party’s caucus meeting, there is no remorse for the damage done to the nation’s democratic credentials or the huge private and public resources wasted by the inability of APC hawks to allow the commission to operate.
Prince Secondus said that the President’s action is all tailored towards his dictatorial statement to the international media that nobody can unseat him, but noted that he is not God as Nigerian people have already decided to unseat him with Atiku Abubakar noting that the voice of the people is the voice of God.
Prince Secondus also urged the international community especially local and foreign observers of the Nigeria election to note the emerging undemocratic dispositions and threats from both the President and the APC.
