President The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged its members, supporters and lovers of democracy to rise up and use all lawful means to resist anti-democratic forces in Nigeria, accusing the judiciary and security agencies of lending a hand to desperate schemes by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to subvert the will of the people and destroy the nation’s democracy.
In a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, the PDP accused the APC of seeking to steal the mandates freely given to the PDP by voters in different parts of the country, particularly Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Delta, Abia, and Taraba states.
“Let it be known, and clearly too, that no matter the strong-arming, threats and manipulations by the APC government, the PDP is not willing to, and will never surrender the mandate freely given to us by the people in states where we won in the last general elections, neither are the people of those states willing to allow sectional invaders to exert influence on those to be in charge of their affairs,” Mr. Metuh said on Sunday.
The PDP alleged that the APC government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, had exhibited desperation in manipulating sensitive agencies of state like the judiciary and the security to further the ruling party’s effort to seize the rich states of Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Delta. Mr. Metu described the APC’s alleged moves as totally against the spirit of democracy and peace bestowed by the PDP in conceding defeat at the presidential election. According to him, the APC’s aspirations amounted to an affront to the people and recipe for crisis in the polity.
The PDP spokesman flayed what he called prejudiced rulings by the Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states governorship elections tribunals. According to him, the verdicts were a direct fallout of interferences from the APC and some elements within the office of the President of the Court of Appeal, adding that those interests should be held responsible should there be any breakdown of law and order in the system.
The PDP also strongly cautioned against any interference in the Rivers and Akwa-Ibom cases at the appeal level as well as any further intrusion in the Abia, Taraba and Delta governorship election tribunals, which the APC allegedly was already boasting of controlling. “In the last five months, after conceding defeat at the Presidential elections and other polls where we lost, Nigerians are witnesses to the fact that the PDP has remained calm and steadfast to its commitment to providing mature, decent and civil opposition with more interest on the peace, unity and corporate interest of our dear nation,” Mr. Metuh stated.
The statement continued: “However, the ruling party and the APC Federal Government in their dictatorial inclinations are much more interested in playing crude, selfish and sectional politics and trying to use manipulation of judicial processes to forcefully take over states where we genuinely won in the elections. “Nigerians have noted APC’s definition of credible elections wherein governorship elections in Imo, Ogun, Plateau, Lagos and Yobe are all credible while those of Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Delta, Taraba and Abia are rigged and must by all means be annulled.
“In the light of the foregoing therefore, leaders of the PDP across the country are now converging on a consensus not to surrender our national destiny and fate to the whims and caprices of the sectional interests of the Daura and Bourdillon Mafia.
“We want all to know that this party is able, willing and now ready to call up our members and supporters to use all means within the limits provided by the laws of the land to resist this evil plan to decimate the PDP and opposition. The peace we seek is not that of a graveyard, it is such as guaranteed by a well-recognized democratic system that treats all as equals before the law, irrespective of partisan and political affiliations.
“We hereby raise a rallying cry to all our members and supporters of PDP nationwide, all patriotic citizens and all lovers of democracy to join the PDP in this fight to save our nation from the hands of the lying, deceitful and false prophets, who are bent on parading themselves as cruel conquerors of our democracy.
“Furthermore, we request the international community to note that never in the history of our democracy has the nation witnessed such a divisive and anti-people government, whose actions have so polarized the polity, and undermined national unity and cohesion, a development that spells doom for our democracy, if not checked. “We are therefore duty bound to counsel President Muhammadu Buhari to be cautious of tendencies that provide avenues for the destruction of the nation’s democracy, which he is a huge beneficiary of.
“In the same vein, we call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed to note the looming danger and save the nation’s democracy and the institution of the judiciary by immediately checking negative actions emanating from elements operating within the office of the President of the Court of Appeal.
“Finally, it has become necessary to remind all that this democracy was built on the principle of the rule of law and no political party, individual or group must be allowed to, by any means, appropriate or attempt to appropriate the will of the people at any time and under any guise whatsoever.”