PDP Replies APC, Insists On Dismantling Ruling Party’s Rigging Machine

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says no threats or smear campaign 
will make it buckle on its resolve to contend with the All Progressives 
Congress (APC) and dismantle its rigging machinery in all future 
elections.

The PDP notes that the APC had, in its statement on Wednesday, already 
admitted that it had been engaged in rigging of elections, sponsoring of 
violence, ballot snatching and announcing of fake results, for which it 
has become notorious among Nigerians.

It is a settled fact that though truth can be suppressed for a season, 
it will always have a way of showing itself to the light. The APC, in 
its own statement, has owned up to electoral contrivances and openly 
admitted that it blatantly rigged last Saturday’s National Assembly 
bye-election where results were altered in its favour, ballot boxes were 
snatched, Nigerians were harassed, intimidated and even killed.

The APC in its own words alluded to ‘crude election rigging methods such 
as ballot snatching and announcement of concocted election results’ 
which it confirmed as “recently displayed during last weekend 
bye-election in Kogi state”, where it was illegally declared winner.

We are therefore happy that having called them out, the APC leaders, 
apart from admitting their guilt of electoral malfeasance, have demanded 
for a probe into our move to dismantle their rigging machine. We welcome 
this demand and further request that the probe should be done in the 
open, so that we can expose APC’s rigging machine for the world to see.

Such a probe will also provide the PDP our long awaited opportunity to 
expose the compromised INEC officials, security agents and agencies as 
well as fake observers used by the APC to rig elections. The PDP will 
show evidence of how the APC deployed thugs to unleash violence; used 
security forces to intimidate, arrest and detain PDP supporters; the 
cancellation and alteration of results where PDP won, allocation of fake 
results for the APC and outright declaration of concocted results to 
suit the whims of APC.

The PDP has all the facts and will never allow them to play out again.

Regarding Osun governorship election, the PDP maintains that it will not 
allow the APC to freely use its Ekiti and Edo rigging templates to 
manipulate the process to its favour. No amount of propaganda and 
distortion of our statement will deter the PDP from its stand to 
confront and resist the APC, head to head and ensure that only the will 
of the people prevail.

Moreover, the PDP has resolved to set up monitoring teams in all polling 
centers and we will end all attempts by the APC to buy votes or snatch 
ballot boxes as they did in Ekiti and the just concluded bye-elections.

While the PDP remains law abiding and will never engage in rigging, it 
will, with all efficiency, dismantle the APC rigging machine and ensure 
a free and fair election using all means available to members as free 
citizens of Nigeria. This nation belongs to all of us and nobody, no 
matter how highly placed, must arrogate himself the power to subjugate 
others, particularly at elections. Enough is enough.