BREAKING NEWS, Politics
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The Presidency says there are no plans to rig the coming gubernatorial election in Kogi and Bayelsa states contrary to allegations by the opposition People Democratic Party
AHEAD of Kogi and Bayelsa states gubernatorial polls, President Muhammadu Buhari has told the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the police to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
Buhari gave the charge at a meeting with the INEC leadership and others. Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, who disclosed the parley, said it was “mischievous” for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to read meanings into a well-intended meeting.
According to Shehu the president called the meeting, which was cited by the PDP to warn, the INEC and the police to do their best to give the nation a credible election. Buhari was said to have told them that he expected nothing short of a free, fair and credible election.
The statement said: “He (Buhari) said he had suffered election manipulation in 2003,2007 and 2011 and would not like to have any Nigerian to go through that again.
“He warned against the intimidation of voters in any way and vowed that he was prepared to move with all the forces available to him against anyone who undermines the rights of any citizen.
“The meeting was short and straight to the point. It ended after five minutes. He asked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo if he had anything to say and he added nothing.”
The Presidency cautioned against what it called the PDP’s recurring tendencies to destroy national institutions, adding: “Nigerians should be wary of the PDP’s fruitless attempts to destroy national institutions President Buhari is determined to rebuild.”
The PDP alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, planned to rig the Kogi State governorship poll.
The party accused the Presidency, the INEC and security agencies were involved in the “plot”.
In a statement by Olisa Metuh, its national publicity secretary, the party said the plot was to employ official and unofficial means necessary to ensure victory for the APC.
The statement said: “We have incontrovertible records of separate meetings, late last week between the Presidency and the new INEC leadership as well as with some top security officers, which were coordinated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, who boasted that he has President Muhammadu Buhari’s orders to ensure that Kogi State is wrestled from the PDP by all means.
“We alert all to be aware of this planned ‘coup’ against democracy again, by the now ‘new sheriff’, who though, being the biggest beneficiary of free and fair election in the history of Nigeria, is now out to corrupt the electoral system and destroy our democracy, all in the obsession to foist a one-party state in the country.
“Intelligence information available to us shows that at the meeting with the new INEC leadership under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the commission was given orders regarding the posting of compromised personnel to strategic areas in the state to manipulate the card readers as well as the actual voting process in favour of the APC, with assurance of adequate protection by government security agencies, particularly the Directorate of State Services, DSS.”
— Nov 16, 2015 @ 19:15 GMT
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