The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent statement, that he will not interfere with the March 23, supplementary elections, is a direct confession that he used his influence to rig the February 23, Presidential election.
On 17 March 2019, Garba Shehu, the Spokesman for President Buhari, had said that some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), are expecting the President to aid them by directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to rig the forthcoming supplementary elections, in favour of the ruling party, but the President would not do so. (Read the report HERE)
However, in a statement on Monday night, by the PDP National Spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, reacting, said that “the Presidency’s confession that APC members are mounting pressure on President Buhari to help them to rig the supplementary elections, further confirms the Buhari Presidency’s manipulative and rigging capacity, including militarization of the electoral process, instigating of violence, and alteration of results, as were freely used by the APC, in the Presidential election.”
“Nigerians can recall that ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, President Buhari had promised to allow for a free, fair, transparent and credible process, only for his Presidency and party, the APC, to engage in downright manipulations at INEC, deployment of Military and thugs to intimidate and suppress voters, as well as outright alteration of results delivered from the polling units.
“President Buhari cannot exonerate himself of the harm inflicted on our polity, by the deployment of Soldiers in the 2019 general election, as nobody deploys the Military, except the President and Commander-in-Chief.
“Now that President Buhari, in his Official capacity, has come out to state that he will not intervene in the March 23, supplementary elections. We ask, is Mr. President assuring Nigerians that any ‘Soldier’ seen directly involved in the rerun election is fake, and should be treated as such?”
The party also cautioned INEC Officials, to note that Nigerians are very eager about the outcome of the supplementary elections, given that “the PDP is already leading in these States”.