Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Yenagoa on
Tuesday raised a fresh alarm over “the win or destroy” plans of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) for the rescheduled election in Southern Ijaw
LGA.
The party reiterated its earlier position that the same desperation of
APC’s Timipre Sylva for power resulted in the compromise of otherwise
respectable federal institutions during the aborted election.
A statement issued by the Director of Publicity, Restoration Campaign
Organisation, Jonathan Obuebite, said the APC have still not learnt any
lessons from the incident because “Sylva and others were hell-bent on
using the same federal institutions like the military, police, INEC to rig
the election in Southern Ijaw.”
Warning of the dire consequences, Obuebite stated that the PDP had
uncovered fresh plans to rig at all cost even when it was glaring that
there was no way the APC could possibly win going by the clear margin of
win by the PDP having swept 6 out of the 7 local governments declared so
far and the fact that Southern Ijaw is a noted stronghold of the PDP.
He berated Sylva and the APC “for doing everything to compromise the
REC”, saying he did same with the military and police during the canceled
election in their desperate moves to win at all cost.
He drew attention to an interview by the state’s REC, Baritor Kpagih,
which though did not mention any names revealed that money was offered to
him by “certain interests” to skew the governorship election in favour of
their candidate and that his refusal to be bribed had pitted them against
him leading to name calling and threats to his life.
“My refusal had infuriated them and they started saying I had gone
underground and all sorts of stories. People should not take election as a
do-or-die affair. I told them I can’t help them to rig the election and
that they should use the money they wanted to bribe me with to go to the
grassroots and canvass for votes”, the REC told The Guardian, that noted
flagship of the Nigerian press.
Obuebite commended the courage of the REC, noting that even though he did
not mention names, it was clear who he was referring to and that such
revelations had justified PDP’s position that APC’s desperation for power
had resulted in the attempt to defenestrate respectable federal
institutions such as the military, police, INEC, EFCC and the Judiciary,
all in a bid to get power at all cost.
“APC have still not learnt their lessons as they are hell-bent on using
the same federal institutions to rig the rescheduled Southern Ijaw
election even when it is so glaring that there is no way they or their
candidate could possibly win. Sylva’s desperation to win at all cost
even when the odds are clearly against him,having been roundly rejected by
the people, is rather alarming and constitutes a clear and present danger
to public peace and security”, he stated.