The All Progressives Congress, APC, has alerted security agencies of a plot by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to cause violence in the build-up and during the November 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states.
While alleging that the PDP is already creating an atmosphere of fear and stage-managed violence in the two states, the APC claimed the opposition party was also playing the victim so as to scare voters from coming out during the election to exercise their franchise.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, the National pPublicity Secretary of APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said that violence had been the PDP’s election winning strategy during its inglorious 16 years’ rule.
He said: “We strongly call on security agencies to take seriously PDP’s recent threats to the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Ahmed Nasir El-Rufai, who is the chairman of the APC Kogi State National Governorship Campaign Council to “steer clear” of Kogi State during the electioneering.
“One asks, why has the PDP refused to embark on any major campaign in Bayelsa and Kogi States? They are clearly not planning for a credible electoral process. We have confirmed PDP’s grand plan to rather than campaign, compromise security agents and electoral personnel deployed for the governorship elections.
“In Kogi, defeat stares PDP in the face and because they do not have any answer to Governor Yahaya Bello’s tremendous accomplishments, they have decided to create an atmosphere of fear, stage-manage violence and are typically getting ready to cause chaos on the election day.
“In Bayelsa State, the centre has completely fallen apart for the PDP with the gale of defection of the party stalwarts and senior appointees of the outgoing administration of Governor Seriake Dickson into the APC fold. The massive and post-partisan popularity of the APC candidate, Chief David Lyon, is visible to the blind.
“We have received reports of arms stockpiling and vote-buying plans by PDP elements in Bayelsa State. We have also confirmed reports showing plans are afoot to stage-manage violence to disrupt the election while blaming the APC,” he said.
Issa-Onilu said that the APC campaign trains were rounding off ward and community levels’ campaign all across Kogi State.
“A formidable campaign council has been inaugurated by the National Working Committee (NWC) under the leadership of the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. The council boasts of seven serving governors and several experienced political leaders of our party.
“Similarly, the APC has set up a campaign council for the Bayelsa governorship election under the leadership of the Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Badaru, with several serving governors as members. This is in demonstration of our desire to win the two elections by securing majority votes in both states under free and fair contest,” he said.
The APC called on Nigerians to “collectively resist PDP’s plot to rubbish the successes we have recorded in the conduct of credible elections since 2015. We urge the electorate to defend their votes to ensure progressive leadership in the states.”
In a swift reaction, the PDP accused the APC of planning to resort to violence during the governorship elections in the two states because it had lost the people’s support.
According to PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the people would resist the antics of the APC.
Ologbondiyan said that by the allegation, the APC had revealed its intention to use violence against PDP during the governorship elections in both states.
He said: “They are already telling Nigerians what they intend to do during the elections because they do not have the people on their side. They know they have lost the confidence of the people, so they are now resorting to violence. But the people will resist them.”
