The All Progressives Congress (APC) has welcomed the statement by the
Presidency/PDP that they are not behind the ongoing campaign for next
month’s general elections to be shifted, saying both must now back up
their words with action by cutting off the funding for the
surreptitious campaign immediately.
In a statement issued in Ilorin on Saturday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said having seen that the
election-shift campaign has been rejected by Nigerians, the Presidency
and the PDP have wisely backed away from it, that is if they can be
trusted to mean what they say.
However, it called on all Nigerians, as well as local and
international observers who have started arriving for the elections,
to closely monitor developments as the elections approach, because the
Presidency and the PDP have proven time and again that their words are
not their bond.
”Election is a process, not a one-day affair. That is why we are
delighted that some foreign observers have already arrived for the
Feb. 14th and 28th polls. Now they must pay a very close attention to
the preparations for the elections, the relentless campaign to shift
the polls, including through the use of pseudo analysts and the
sponsorship of a rash of court cases seeking to stop the presidential
candidate of the APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at all cost.
”We know their last joker is the court, amid the unpleasant rumours
that a pliable Judge has been procured with millions of dollars to
disqualify our candidate. But we strongly believe that the judiciary
will do all that is possible to keep its integrity intact and not be a
party to desperate efforts to scuttle the elections and trigger a
constitutional crisis,” APC said
The party also called on local and international observers to take
note of the threats of violence emanating from a section of the
country ahead of the elections.
”The ex-militants from the Niger Delta have openly threatened the
very existence of the country if President Goodluck Jonathan fails to
win the forthcoming presidential election. The implication is that, as
far as they are concerned, the votes of the people do not count and
elections are won by fiat. This is a recipe for violence and
disaster,” it said.
APC said even though the Presidency and the PDP have belatedly
distanced themselves from the threats, their disclaimer is as tepid as
it is unreliable, since they are the unseen hands behind the threats
anyway.
”This is why we are calling for vigilance from all stakeholders in
the next few days before the Feb. 14th and 28th elections. We must not
allow desperate politicians to plunge our nation into chaos. Elections
are not war, but a celebration of democracy. There will always be
winners and losers, hence no one should threaten others if he or she
loses,” the party said.
