PDP protest insincere, attempt to stop governorship election – Buhari Group

 

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) protest march over the outcome of the 2023 Presidential Election is to intimidate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting Saturday’s gubernatorial and state assemblies elections, an All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Group has said.

 

The National Coordinator of the Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, Hon. Usman Ibrahim made the disclosure during a press conference organised by the Support Group at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday.

 

According to the Support Group, while there were isolated hitches in the conduct of the election, INEC delivered on its promise of a free and fair election which produced Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner and now President-elect.

 

He said, “We are all witnesses to events before and after the February 25 polls which was conducted in a free and fair atmosphere as attested by both local and international observers.

 

“It is also pertinent to note that President Buhari’s commitment towards institutionalizing a level playing field for electoral contest yielded the desired results, one of which is the emergence of four front runners in the recently conducted presidential election.

 

“Judging from the aforementioned, we make bold to say that a President that recorded such feat cannot in any way allow a flawed election as being bandied by the opposition parties who lost on account of inability to secure highest votes to win the presidential election.

 

“This is not to say that there were no hitches in the conduct of the election. In our estimation, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the face of numerous challenges delivered on its promise of a free and fair election.

 

“However, the declaration of the APC Presidential Candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 election by INEC on March 1, has sparked an array of unsubstantiated reasons by the opposition and their supporters to discredit the election and by extension the electoral umpire.

 

“In as much as we appreciate the freedom of all and sundry to express their feelings we are most worried by blatant lies couched in the desperation to truncate the electoral victory of H.E Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

“We are also at loss as to why men of high standing in the country will resort to using irrational approaches to pursue their political ambitions.

 

“Yes, the right to protest is constitutional in Nigeria and globally recognized but this lawful freedom must be exercised in tandem with every sense of decency.

 

“In this vein, we urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to exercise restraint in its desperation to gag INEC with the sole intent of intimidating the commission from conducting the upcoming gubernatorial and state assemblies elections scheduled for March 11. It should absolve itself with gathering evidences to substantiate its case at the tribunal.

 

“For us at MBO, the protest by PDP does not in any way portray them as true democrats but as an undemocratic forces bent on thwarting the remaining elections thus trying to jeopardize the hard earned democratic process because it loss the election.

 

“Interestingly, the Jagaban Borgu’s election as the 6th democratically elected president of Nigeria has come to stay for the next four years and by the special grace of the Almighty God a second term of four years.

 

“We will not relent in our call to aggrieved politicians for them to explore legal means in pursuing their cases. And to equally stand firm against any illegal or ill-timed protest to subvert the voices of the Nigerian people who came out en-mass to vote for Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

“Judging from the acceptance speech of the President-elect the opposition is supposed to see an all-inclusive government underway and start prepping to join the monumental political force championed by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who is poised to build on the developmental strides of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 8 years in office.

 

“At a time like this, when Nigeria calls, let us put personal interests aside and support the onerous task of building a better nation in line with the dreams of her founding fathers because at this critical time, we need everybody on board.”