The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the opposition All Progressives
Congress (APC) now confronted with the reality of failure in the 2015
general elections has intensified its frenzied deployment of false alarms
aimed at throwing the polity into chaos and wreck the electoral process.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Monday
said “having been exposed in its hypocrisy, lies and empty promises, the
APC in obvious frustration is now engaged in dangerous mind game using
wild allegations in a bid to cause panic, balkanize the nation and create
the way for a reign of anarchy in the country.
“For the APC, it has become a matter of ‘if we can’t have it, then let’s
destroy it’. In the last couple of weeks, this opposition party and its
leaders have engaged in dishing out dangerous false alarms in a bid to
discredit the electoral process, heighten tension, create fear in the
minds of the people and push the polity to the brinks.
“For instance, how else would one explain the false alarm by the leader of
the opposition, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Thursday, March 12, 2015 alleging
that there were plots to assassinate him, a phantom claim which was
followed on Sunday, March 15 by the APC in a statement that there were
plans to kill their Presidential flagbearer, General Muhammadu Buhari.
“Also, on the same March 15, the APC in a yet another statement falsely
claimed that the Federal Government paid N9 billion to ethnic militias to
foment trouble, before, during and after the general elections. This was
immediately followed by a release on Monday, March 16, in which the
opposition, in their unrelenting effort to further discredit the process,
alleged that the Federal Government has hired an Israeli expert, Gyora
Berger to sabotage card readers on election day.
“In the same vein, on March 4, 2015, the APC released a false alarm
claiming that there were plots by the Federal Government to frame its
leaders and sensitive INEC officials and manipulate the electoral process.
This is in addition to another statement on March 9 in which it alleged of
plots to harass its financiers and cripple its operations ahead of
elections.
“We are aware that the APC has lined up many of such false allegations and
nuisance alarms, which would be methodologically released to the public to
swell the tension as the elections draw nearer.
“APC’s history of lies has become legendary. Nigerians may recall that
this party in their penchant for deceit had in June 2014 alleged that a
plane carrying Kano state Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso to attend a rally in
Ekiti to support Governor Kayode Fayemi’s re-election bid was denied
landing permission in Akure, only for Kwankwaso’s Director of Press
Affairs, Baba Dantiye to announce that his boss was at another event in
Kano and had no plans to travel to Ekiti state.
“It is indeed clear that the APC has no positive agenda for Nigeria but on
a mission to grab power at all cost, failing which it has perfected plots
to unleash mayhem and destabilize the nation.
“We therefore alert the entire nation, especially security agencies,
electoral officials and our members to be vigilant as these allegations
could indeed be a subterfuge by the APC to cover a grand plot to unbridle
violence on innocent citizens”, the party said.
The PDP also charged its members to remain focused on the campaigns and
not allow themselves to be distracted, especially seeing that it is
enjoying the support and confidence of majority of Nigerians.
The party restated its commitment to issue driven campaign leveraging on
the enviable records of achievements of the standard bearer, President
Goodluck Jonathan for which Nigerians are determined to give him a
deserving second chance, while berating the APC for dwelling on lies and
insults without articulating any positive programme for Nigerians.