The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday raised the alarm over alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to influence the outcome of the presidential election petition currently pending before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
The party also alerted of recent intimidation, harassment, and vicious attacks by APC leaders against Nigerian youths and eminent Nigerian personalities for speaking out against planned moves to install a government that does not enjoy the mandate of majority of Nigerians as expressed at the polling units.
Addressing newsmen at a press conference in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, alleged planned onslaught by APC leaders on eminent Nigerians and the nation’s democratic institutions, including the judiciary.
“There are apprehensions in the public space, having regards to the reputation of certain individuals within the highest level of the APC who have demonstrated capacity and proclivity to compromise democratic institutions in our country,” the party said.
The party also recalled that on Friday, May 5, 2023, it raised the alarm over the massively condemned comments by the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the commissioning of some judiciary projects in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
“More alarming are allegations in the public space of attempts by certain APC leaders to compromise the judiciary with heavy financial inducement and to orchestrate trumped-up allegations of impropriety against judicial officers,” the party alleged.
The party called on the APC and its leaders to immediately come clean and publicly address Nigerians and the world on these disturbing allegations and revelations which are already in the public domain.
“Further to this is the provocative resort by the APC and its leaderstothreatenNigerianswith treason for speaking out against the manipulations of our democratic processes by the APC.
“For emphasis, majority of Nigerians are insisting on the review of the February 25, 2023 presidential election because it was marred by wide-spread manipulations, open alteration of genuine election results from the polling units, allocation of fictitious figures to the APC and brazen violation of the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022 as well as INEC manual and guidelines by INEC itself in its declaration of a winner of the election.
“The bizarre response by INEC, which is an umpire that ought to be independent, to the petition of the PDP and our candidate, Atiku Abubakar, requesting for the dismissal of our petition, is further evidence of the complicity, corruption and compromise of INEC by the APC.
“It is instructive for INEC and the APC to note that the tribunal hearing is part of the electoral process. The APC and INEC are therefore advised to halt further steps to hinder the ability of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to dispense justice in the matter in accordance with the law,” the PDP said.
The party, has, however called on the judiciary to resist and insulate itself from the alleged and reported antics of the APC in the discharge of its constitutional duties as independent and impartial arbiter in the pending petition before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
