By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) said it has uncovered plans by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to compromise security agents and electoral personnel deployed to work to cover the Nov 16 governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa.
The ruling party also accused the PDP of planning to employ violence in both states, citing the threat issued against the governor Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El’rufai, who is the chairman of the Kogi Governorship Campaign Council, by the PDP, not to step into Kogi State.
The statement, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, noted that the APC had been vigorously engaged with campaigns in both states, deploying huge numbers of state governors and other senior national leaders of the party to execute the campaigns in the states.
APC, which alleged that violence had been the PDP’s election strategy all through its years as the ruling party, claimed that the opposition party had refused to engage in any form of election campaign in either of the two states going into election on November 16.
In Bayelsa State, the ruling party said it had good intelligence information that the PDP had already been stockpiling arms and funds to devote to votes buying, adding that the PDP-controlled government of the state had become intimidated by the growing stature of the APC governorship candidate, Chief David Lyon and the gale of defection from the party to the APC.
“The All Progressives Congress (APC) is alerting the security agencies to an orchestrated plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to unleash violence in the lead up to and during the November 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states.
“Already, the PDP is creating an atmosphere of fear and stage-managed violence, while playing the victim so as to scare voters from coming out on election day to exercise their franchise.
“It is instructive to note that violence has been the election winning strategy for the PDP during its inglorious 16 years rule. The strategy started to fail them from 2015 and particularly in the 2019 elections. This strategy will fail again on November 16.
“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 Governoship Campaign Council, to “steer clear” of Kogi State during the electioneering period.
“One asks, why has the PDP refused to embark on any major campaign in Bayelsa and Kogi states? They are clearly no 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 election day.
“In Bayelsa, the centre has completely fallen apart for the PDP with the gale of defection of many 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 recieved 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 APC.
“Currently, the APC campaign trains are 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 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 election by securing majority votes in both states under free and fair elections.
“We must 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,” the statement reads.
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