Zamfara: Bending Rules for APC Recipe for Anarchy, PDP Warns •Says Buhari intimidated by Atiku’s emergence

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against allowing itself to be subdued by All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leadership, following the inability of the party to conduct congresses in Zamfara State, saying doing that will be a recipe for anarchy.

The opposition party also said since the successful conduct of its presidential primary and the popular emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate, the presidency and the APC had become intimidated, thereby “ignobly” resorted to trading on rumours and spurious allegations.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, while addressing a press conference Wednesday in Abuja, noted several comments and personal attacks by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as well as other officials of the President Muhammadu Buhari presidency, saying they had been making deliberate efforts to attack the character of the party’s presidential candidate.

Speaking on the party’s position on Zamfara State, he said: “Our position has not changed. You remembered that after our national convention, we alerted the country that the closing date for primary and congresses was October 7, and that day, the Zamfara State chapter of the APC did not hold any congress to elect candidate into various position that will be contested in 2019 general election.

“We warned INEC because we are aware of under arm measures and moves by the leadership of the APC who summoned the INEC chairman and the governor of Zamfara State to meeting. We raised the alarm because we are democratic party, and we have respect for the 1999 Constitution as amended as well as the electoral law guiding our elections.

“As such, we warned that INEC must not allow itself to be subdued by the APC. For once, they must not allow any form of collusion with the party, because since the state APC did not meet the October 7 deadline, then it means that they have no candidate for 2019 general election.”

The PDP spokesman said the party is aware that INEC has notified the APC that it has no candidate in 2019 elections, warning INEC not to allow itself to be subdued by the APC and its leadership whether in the government or in the party.

The electoral body yesterday confirmed that the letter written to the leadership of the APC notifying the party that it is ineligible to field candidates for all elective positions in Zamfara State in the 2019 general elections.

The Chief Press Secretary of commission, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, revealed that though the letter was leaked to the media, it was authentic.

According to him, “The letter is authentic. But it was a correspondence between the commission and the APC. It leaked obviously.”

Ologbodiyan stressed further that the PDP is aware of how the unnerved and intimidated Buhari presidency had unleashed its officials, spin doctors and hack writers with billions of naira siphoned from the national treasury, to fabricate lies, spurious allegations and smear campaign against its candidate.

The opposition party warned that President Buhari and the APC, in their desperation, should not attempt to confuse personal economic prosperity that comes from hard work, as in the case of Atiku, with corrupt enrichment.

Ologbondiyan further said it is only in an administration like the Buhari presidency that thrives on lies and deception that character like Lai Mohammed, with his lying proclivities, can be minister.

He stated: “It is therefore a heinous perversion for Mohammed, who has earned himself a notoriety for lying, to the extent Nigerians now replace his first name, ‘Lai’ with ‘lie’, to attempt to suggest that the choice of Atiku is a return to era of corruption, whereas President Buhari is internationally reputed to be presiding over the most corrupt administration in the history of our nation.

“Since the successful conduct of our presidential primary and the popular emergence of Atiku, the Buhari presidency and the APC have become intimidated; gone into panic mode and ignobly resorted to trading on rumours.”

Ologbondiyan noted further that “since Mohammed is talking about era of corruption, we charge him to speak up on the leaked memo detailing the stealing of N9 trillion ($25billion) through underhand oil contract at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Ministry of Petroleum, under President Buhari’s direct supervision.”