Laraba Raphael
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said ahead of the 2023 elections Nigerians and it’s institutions should not allow the repeat of 2019 manipulation of electoral process which was marred with serious irregularities where lies where told to incite citizens to cause violence and compromise the security agencies and institutions.
Instead the party is urging for repositioning of all relevant stakeholders for a greater and stronger Nigeria.
This call came following the outcome of the Presidencial elections in United States of America which saw Judiciary, Media and other relevant bodies insists on the victory of Joe Bidien before incumbent President Donald Trump agreed for proper transition of power the Democrats.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Party Kola Ologbondiyan made this known in a statement yesterday in Abuja.
He said,”The PDP therefore calls on all Nigerians including compatriots in INEC, the judiciary, the legislature, security forces, faith-based organizations, the media, civil society groups and other political parties to join forces with our party in the quest to reposition and strengthen our institutions for the task ahead.”
According toOlogbondiyan “Nevertheless again should individuals be allowed to manipulate our system, denigrate our constitution, lie to and incite unsuspecting citizens, promote violence, division and killings; compromise our security agencies, invade our courts and intimidate our judiciary, assault our National Assembly and trample on our laws, all in their inordinate bid to foist their selfish political interests.”
He added, “The PDP also notes that the US election serves as a strong lesson to corrupt and power-drunk leaders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) that no matter how desperate they seek to manipulate the system, the will of the people and the constitution will prevail in the end.
“Whereas our institutions of democracy including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies were brazenly manipulated by the APC in the 2019 elections, the United States experience strengthens the determination by Nigerians to stand up against such manipulations ahead of 2023.”
“The American example equally underpins the demand for public officers, particularly the APC leadership in the National Assembly, to begin to pay greater loyalty to our country and her interest over the parochial interest of their party or the executive arm.
“There is no overstressing the fact that for the strong institutions put in place by patriotic leaders of the United States, that nation would have been thrown into terrible turmoil or succumb to a chaotic order that would have no regard for the law and the will of the people.”
He further emphasised ,”The party further asserts that the insistence of the US judiciary and the legislature on the provisions of their nation’s constitution, especially in resisting those who are desperate to hold on to office even after losing an election, reinforces the triumph of the collective will of a people through their system.