The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus has said that congratulatory messages received by President Muhammadu Buhari from countries over his reelection is out fear of being killed as inferred by a statement credited to the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
El-Rufai had been quoted to have said that foreigners planning to interfere in Nigeria’s electoral process will end up in body bags.
Secondus during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, who described the recently concluded presidential and National Assembly elections as a sham, said it was a Nigerian problem which must be resolved by Nigerians.
While noting that the opposition PDP will go to court to get redress, he added that the party won’t depend on the comments of observers that were threatened.
“They were threatened and silenced, they cannot talk; so it is our responsibility as good citizens to bring this to the public, and to the Nigerian people and to go to court, so we are going to court.”
On the decision of INEC to hold supplementary elections on March 9, alongside the Governorship and State Assembly elections, the PDP chairman said the situation would be assessed and a decision communicated soon.
He also lamented what he described as militarization of election in the South-south region of the country.
“Effect of Militarization. The clear effect of militarizing the election particularly in the South-South and South East in addition to the killing of innocent electorates was the obvious suppression of voters who were either scared out or chased away.
“Even by INEC own record voter turnout in last Saturday’s election fell to about 36% from 44% it was in 2015. Gentlemen of the press, you were in the field and witnessed the large turnout of Nigerian electorate in comparison to that of 2015.”
He also said Nigerian is seeing a direct beneficiary of a rare democratic disposition, Buhari “using the military to rob Nigerians of their right to choose leaders of their choice.”
POLITICSNGR
