The presidential standard bearer of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, on Thursday admonished heads of
security agencies in the country not to allow the All Progressives Congress
(APC) use them as agents to rig the forthcoming elections.
Atiku, who stated this at the Katsina State Sports
Stadium when his campaign train arrived in the state, accused the APC
government of planning to manipulate the outcome of the polls through security
agencies, saying he would reject any "rigged result" after the
elections.
"I want to advise the security chiefs,
including the Nigeria army, to avoid any attempts by APC administration to use
them as agents to rig the result of the general election. PDP as party will
reject rigged results," he said.
He reiterated his doggedness to improve the
economic status of the country, adding that security, improved healthcare
system and employment generation would remain his priorities if given the
mandate to govern Nigeria.
The PDP presidential candidate, however, said the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led government has failed to address the challenges of
insecurity and unemployment facing the country after three and half years in
office.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of PDP,
Prince Uche Secondus, said negative reactions of Nigerians to the ‘Next Level’
mantra of Buhari have shown that the document was dead on arrival.
He pointed out that the president failed to
articulate any solutions or clear policy direction in his “procured and
pedestrian ‘Next Level’ document."
According to Secondus, "APC has brought
hunger, unemployment and insecurity to the country. They want to kill
international observers and PDP members. We must refute the leadership of APC
in Nigeria."
Secondus also warned President Buhari and APC to stop
destroying institutions of the state just because it's being rejected by
Nigerians and wants to manipulate the electoral process.
The PDP leader cried out that APC in its
desperation and confusion is destroying institutions like Police and the military
by intervening on their day-to-day running, including determining posting of
officers.
His warning came as he addressed large crowd of
party supporters who thronged the Katsina State Sports Stadium, the home state of
President Buhari, to behold Atiku campaign train.
Secondus reiterated his earlier position that PDP
and its supporters will not accept the result of election not derived from the
votes of the Nigerian people.
He told the jubilant supporters who shouted Atiku!
Atiku! That their large turnout showed clearly that their son, the president, failed
them, pointing out that hunger and poverty recognise nobody.
"What President Buhari and his party
bequeathed the people of Katsina State and Nigeria in the last three and half
years is nothing but hunger and unemployment,” he stated.
Secondus lauded Atiku as the symbol of unity “and a
man who has excelled in public and private sectors, therefore, well equipped to
rescue Nigeria.”
The PDP national chairman also blasted the Governor
of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, for his reckless threat on election foreign
observers, reminding him that in 2015, he and other APC leaders visited US and
Europe begging for observers to come only to be threatening them now just
because his party is losing.
He said that no amount of threat would deter
observers and other critical players in global democracy from carrying out
their responsibility to Nigeria and democracy.
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