Secondus Knocks APC over N'Assembly Leadership Elections

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, on Thursday knocked the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that corruption in the country had taken to the 'next level' with the 'vote and snap' syndrome which reportedly characterised the recent National Assembly leadership elections.

The 'vote and snap' symbolized the sale of votes  during the National Assembly leadership elections where some senators and members of the House of Representatives openly snapped their ballots as proof that they voted for  preferred candidates in order to  collect money from such candidates who eventually emerged victorious .

It was alleged that some members of the National Assembly obtained debit cards of $10,000 to influence their votes.

Speaking at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party, Secondus commended members of PDP at the Senate and House of Representatives, noting: "The ruling APC came up with their 'green card' 'vote and snap' fraud that introduced an unprecedented dimension to the growing corruption index of this administration.

"My worry is the consequences this brazen corruption would have in the legislative activities of the 9th Assembly."

Acccording to him, "While the executive is having their wish in the ninth Assembly,  PDP as the main opposition party, is very uncomfortable that the level of corruption that preceded the emergence of the leadership is capable of undermining the desired robust legislative activities.

"Having 'purchased' the leadership of the parliament, we expect the cabals to now fully take over and dictate the show at the legislature. We have even seen the first sign of what is to come when the APC group in the Senate killed a motion to debate the June 12 speech of the imperial President.

"Only a conquered parliament with credibility challenge can shy away from discussing a major address of a President just sworn into office, but that is a sign of what is to come when choosing legislative leadership is heavily monetized by a regime that claims to be fighting corruption.

"The bazar that took place during the election of National Assembly leaders clearly gives a picture of the anti-corruption status and how the APC has become home for looters. Just last week Nigerians witnessed how some corruption charges  involving APC chieftains were withdrawn from the EFCC and handed over to the Attorney General for final dropping", Secondus said.  .

On the state of insecurity in the country,  the National Chairman of PDP said,  "In the area of security, as you all are very much aware, the threatening security situation in the country is not abating, rather it's getting worse by the day. Infact the hopelessness in the security situation is underlined in the recent statement of the military hierarchy early this week trying to blame the soldiers for the continued Boko haram incursions. This is after they had severally declared the Boko haram sect to be technically defeated.

 

"The killing of soldiers and civilians by Boko Haram terrorists in the North East and the bandits in the North West has continued unabated. Few weeks ago angry youths in Katsina, the home state of the President, had to dump the bodies of 18 persons killed by the bandits in government house for the government to bury and taste the pain of burying. How else can a people whose government cannot provide basic things like security demonstrate their anger and frustrations.

"The truth remains that under the watch of President Buhari and APC, Nigeria and her citizens have been degraded and people are no longer proud of their country. Also from the South-South region the health hazards arising from pollutions, black soot in Niger Delta area has continued to wreak havoc killing the people with no clear response from the government notwithstanding that this is region that produces the wealth of the country.

"For instance, the people of Polobubo Community in Warri North local Government of Delta state after endless wait for Nigeria government have taken their pathetic case internationally to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for attention," Secondus during. 

On the Democracy Day celebration,  Secondus said that the President's June 12 speech failed woefully to advance any pragmatic solutions to the myriads of problems facing the country a lot of which came as a result of poor governance and insensitivity from the government.

He said that making a bogus promise of raising 100million people out of poverty is yet many of the wishful thinking anchored on the propaganda agenda of the administration. Nigerians cannot be excited at a speech whose content by experience would never be implemented.

According to the PDP National Chairman, "Why should any Nigerian be thrilled at a speech of an imperial President who has established history of impunity violation of human rights and rule of law.

"When this government came in 2015 with all the goodwill of Nigerians, it was unable to keep any of its words more so now when he is clutching a stolen mandate gotten through a militarized electoral process of harassment and cowing of the electorate.

"Rather than taking full responsibility for the lapses the Commander in Chief and the APC instead have been indulging in blame game, the latest being the President's fingering of faceless political and religious leaders as being behind the insecurity in the country without pinpointing anyone.

"Nigerians have watched in the feeling of sadness, how this government is only effective in baseless propaganda and in questionable anti-democratic strategies aimed at muzzling up  dissecting views for a full blown dictatorship to emerge. Recent closure of the African Independent Television, AIT, and the enormous corruption that preceded the election of leaders of the National Assembly clearly opened a new page in the corruption rating of this administration. Nigerians have also watched in utter disgust how the nation’s heroes who made enormous sacrifice for the unity of this country like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Gen. T. Y. Danjuma among others are being maligned and insulted by this administration". 

 He described slamming of the general elections by international observers as a vindication that the elections did not meet the expectations of Nigerians and international best standards.

Secondus said: "In particular, the European Union election observation group, the American-based National Democratic Institute, NDI, and International Republican Institute, IRI. The reports of the three highly respected international bodies merely confirmed the feeling of Nigerians that the election that produced President Muhammadu Buhari was marred by rampant irregularities and therefore fell below credibility standard.

"The report also lampooned the roles of security agencies during the election and noted that the performance of security operatives during the election fell far below the acceptable international best practice.

"From these reports therefore it's now obvious even globally that the will of Nigerian voters freely expressed on 23 February 2019 when they came out in their numbers and voted for our candidate Atiku Abubakar was massively  rigged and thwarted. This clearly is the verdict of the World who are also watching us as we proceed at the election tribunal".