Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has
accused the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress, APC, of
plotting to embarrass the Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC, in a bid to remove its chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu from
Office.
He also described comments credited to President Muhammadu Buhari
at the national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on
Monday warning that intending ballot boxes snatchers would be risking
their lives, as a call to jungle justice, saying the nation’s extant
laws are enough to deal with electoral offenders.
Addressing a press conference at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
Presidential Campaign Office, Maitama, Abuja yesterday, Hon. Dogara
condemned President Buhari and APC national chairman, Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole’s allegations accusing the PDP of having prior information of
plans to shift the polls last week.
“We know they are doing everything humanly possible to
discredit INEC, remove the chairman and stall the process conscious of
the fact that they cannot win this election.
“From our position, we strongly believe that the deliberate
delivery of election materials to the wrong electoral centers,
cancellation of flights, and other actions that undermined the logistics
arrangement of INEC were deliberately done to sabotage and manipulate
the process.
“We are also very familiar with the pressure brought on INEC by
top government officials and APC leaders to go ahead with the elections
despite not being adequately prepared for the election.
We are also aware the APC wanted the INEC chairman to conduct
elections in some states and postpone in other states so as to have
staggered elections. It should also be noted that the areas that would
have been affected by inadequate delivery of materials were PDP
strongholds,” he said.
Quoting President Buhari as saying that “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, may be that would
be the last unlawful action you would take.
I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I
am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in
his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would
do it at the expense of his/her own life,” Dogara urged Nigerians not to
be deterred in their quest to elect a new government next week.
He said, “we categorically deny these false claims and
unnecessary blackmail and regard the President’s statement as a call for
extra-judicial killings considering the fact that there are adequate
provisions in our laws to address electoral offenses.
“These statements clearly indicate that our democracy has
become the victim of a full blown dictatorship, when one considers that a
democratically elected President would give a directive that is in
clear violation of the laws of the land which by his oath of office he
is to defend and protect.
“In view of this statement by the President, it is obvious that
the military has been given a central role and co-opted into the
conduct of the election despite the fact that they have no
constitutional role in our electoral process.”
He called on Nigerians not to forget that “our party chairman,
Prince Uche Secondus, was the first to call for an inquiry into why the
elections were postponed last Saturday.
In reality, we support a genuine and transparent probe into why the
Presidential and National Assembly elections could not hold. We also
hope that the President’s inflammatory statement is not a threat aimed
at intimidating the electoral commission.
Dogara also had some words for the APC chairman, whom he tasked to reflect on his allegation against the PDP.
“We also strongly condemn Mr. Oshiomole’s false, mischievous
and inflammatory claims against our party, when he said INEC colluded
with PDP to abort last week’s elections.
This is a very surprising statement considering the fact that the
federal government controls every institution and agency involved in the
electoral process, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigerian
Airforce, Aviation authorities amongst others.
“It is important to note that the APC in its usual manipulative
style is now shifting the blame on INEC leadership while absolving
itself and the other institutions of government under its control of any
blame.
That is the common strategy that super villains always employ.
Dogara who is a technical adviser to the PDP Presidential candidate,
Atiku Abubakar expressed worry that a sitting government is playing the
victim card; a development he described as a novelty in the nation’s
political history.
“This is the first time that we have witnessed a ruling party
play victim,” he continued, stressing that it is “a clear indication
that they have lost the plot. Evidently, their recent actions and
statements clearly show they are panicking and desperate to cling onto
power, even when the people have rejected them.”
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