PDP alleges plot to compromise election tribunals

National Publicity Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Olisa Metuh

THE Peoples Democratic Party said on Tuesday that it was in possession of intelligence reports showing that the All Progressives Congress leaders had been holding meetings in Abuja and Lagos on how to compromise the sanctity of the election tribunals in their compositions and locations to suit the APC purpose.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja, said, “We are aware that there are moves by the APC to cause the doctoring of the membership of the governorship elections tribunals in some PDP states, particularly Akwa-Ibom, Abia, Rivers and Delta with the aim to bring in friendly officers, possibly to push through their agenda against our great party.

“Also we question the so-called security reasons adduced for the decision to relocate the Akwa-Ibom State Governorship, National and State Assembly Elections Tribunals out of the state and wonder why Akwa-Ibom was singled out.

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“Nigerians and the international community would recall that we had earlier alerted of furtive moves by the APC to procure and compromise some stakeholders in the elections, including the Independent National Electoral Commission and security personnel to bear false witnesses and doctor electoral materials against the PDP at the tribunals.”

Metuh added that the PDP had earlier alerted of plots by the APC to foist a one party rule on the country by attempting to destabilise the PDP and to “take over some of our states and legislative seats, all to ensure that there is no strong opposition when they eventually assume power.”

“It is apparently in line with this heinous agenda that the APC has started hounding our senators-elect with threats to use the tribunals against them if they fail to do their bidding in the parliament,” Metuh said.

He said the PDP was worried that what it described as ‘jackboot mentality’ and rape of the democracy had been happening with the knowledge of President Muhammadu Buhari, who he said remained “the direct beneficiary of the huge sacrifice the PDP made to ensure that the nation remains peaceful and stable.”

He said his party would want Buhari to note that “the plot by his party to alter the will of the people and unlawfully take over states genuinely won by the PDP is obviously an invitation to anarchy, capable of truncating our hard-earned democracy as it would be stiffly resisted by the people.”

“We invite the international community and lovers of democracy worldwide to note the ugly developments and hold the APC responsible should there be any breakdown of law and order in the polity,”he said.