APC, Secondus in War of Words over Alleged Militarisation of Elections

APC, Secondus in War of Words over Alleged Militarisation of Elections

Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus yesterday engaged in war of words over the alleged militarisation of elections in the country.

APC in a statement issued by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yekini Nabena, said that the main opposition party, the PDP is crumbling under the leadership of Secondus.

“The APC calls on Secondus to focus on the PDP which has become shockingly rudderless under his watch.

“Under Secondus, the PDP has never had it this bad with the opposition party’s stakeholders detached from the party activities as was witnessed with notable PDP leaders boycotting the party’s 2019 presidential campaigns and the recent Bayelsa State Governorship bribe-for-ticket scandal that indicted Secondus.

“Little wonder, the recent months have witnessed many PDP members resign their membership due to Secondus activities which has brought the PDP to its knees.”

Nabena noted that PDP under Secondus was in willful denial of the obvious that under the Buhari-led APC administration, free, fair and credible elections is the new normal, while stressing that voting power was fast returning to the people and the era of stolen and procured votes is fast-fading.

Nabena wondered why the PDP under Secondus does not support efforts to ensure the independence of the state’s institutions such as the Judiciary, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security services so as to ultimately deepen the country’s democracy and improve its electioneering system.

He reiterated that Buhari’s declaration that the APC could have used the military and other security services to overrun opposition states in the 2019 general election but chose free, fair elections was a demonstration the party’s proven democratic and progressive credentials.

Nabena therefore called on progressive partisans, particularly in the PDP not to sink with the opposition party which has become clearly disillusioned under Secondus.

He noted that the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led APC Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee has created a healthy and progressive political environment in the APC and is entrenching internal democracy.

In his swift response, Secondus said yesterday that APC and its government “are in a state of deep unconsciousness, sleeping on duty as the nation groans.”

Secondus, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Mr. Ike Abonye, said, “ in their struggle to say something; they expose their insensitivity to the plight of the populace.

“A lame and confused party breeds bad government and they together abet poverty in the land. God will rescue his people from an unfair regime.

“When Secondus came to power two and half years ago, PDP controlled 11 states; today they are 17. For APC when they came to office, Nigeria was standing. Today, she is crippled; please spot the difference,” Secondus said.

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