The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Monday warned against any plans to manipulate the 2027 general election by the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.
Debo Ologunagba, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, while speaking on Monday, said it was obvious that the ruling party and President Bola Tinubu were jittery over the current situation in the country.
Ologuagba, who also noted that the opposition parties are becoming more organised and ready to take over power.
He described the APC as a government of ” lies and propaganda”.
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” The President said about a week ago that the country has achieved its revenue target as of August, and then you begin to ask yourself, is it a voodoo economy? What does the President mean? There’s no reality, there’s no connection between what he’s saying and what you feel in the marketplace.
” If you’ve met your target, then it means you’re probably having a surplus; if there’s a surplus, then the people will feel it.
Recalling PDP’s 16 years in power from 1999 to 2015, the party’s image maker noted how it freed Nigeria from debts by repaying all its debts while also building a vibrant economy.
” The PDP knows the art of governance and the fact of the responsibility of governments to the people, recognising that under the Nigerian constitution, the primary purpose of government is the welfare and security of the people.
So the APC is based on the pyramid of lies, and they’re continuing in it.
The PDP said the government has entered into a state it described as “panic mode”, adding that ” the APC government at present is demonstrating signs of a failed government.
” They know that their policies are not working, and you say let’s spin it, let’s gas and slide it. This is not working because Nigerians have seen through it.
“So are all the endorsements, all the shopping endorsements. Let your work endorse you. Let your achievement endorse you.
Nigerians should be freely allowed to express their views and their wishes in the ballot box, and that their votes would count and that they will be counted.
” We want votes to count and to be counted and to reflect the wishes of the people, and the only body that must do that and ensure that the Nigerian people and the democracy can continue to thrive here is INEC.
” They must ensure a legal framework that works for the people, so that going to court to determine whether this is legal or not will not be by manipulation.
” They must ensure there will be an electoral transmission of the election result from the polling units so that it will be difficult to manipulate because all of us will see it in real time.
” The challenge is that there seems to be, and from all evidence, there seems to be institutional manipulation of the electoral process, and so let’s break it down.
“Today, people who are operating private businesses can use the POS to buy things and withdraw cash. Bank ATMs work virtually in every location in this country. POS works in virtually every location in this country, and the volume that a bank handles at a time is unimaginable; it’s in thousands, if not millions. So the question will be, why is it that the ATM card will work in my remote village, and then the Bivas will not work? Those are the questions.
The PDP expressed fears of “deliberate manipulation to ensure that the process cannot guarantee fairness.
“So this INEC’s idea of glitches, if there are no glitches on the local POS that a woman selling coca-cola or drinks at polling unit during the election is operating at the same location and you have a POS for sale of water and all of that thing at the same unit working and then the BIVAS that has additional backup battery to ensure that it doesn’t go off, it can only be a manipulation institutionally managed and triggered by INEC. Nigerians know better now.”
