Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday cried out that all its campaign billboards and posters are being destroyed in all All Progressive Congress (APC) controlled states.
The party said that the worst case scenario is in Lagos State, where it alleged that money paid for the presidential campaigns billboards are being returned and posters destroyed.
This was disclosed by the Director of Strategic Communications of the PDP Presidential Campaigns, Otumba Dele Momodu, who addressed a press conference to lay the complaints of political thuggery against the PDP presidential campaigns.
He said that in the Third Mainland Bridge that money paid to the advertising agencies are being returned.
Momodu, who appealed to Presidential Muhammadu Buhari to call the various state governors concerned to order, also appealed to the National Security Adviser, General Babagana Munoguno, to march his words with action as the PDP presidential campaigns are daily becoming victims of thuggery and political violence.
Momodu explained that the interventions of the President and the National Security Adviser were needed, noting that if such took place in 2014 and 2015 that Buhari may not have won the 2015 presidential election.
He explained that the new Electoral Act guaranteed free access to political parties to campaign.
Also, spokesperson of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, Kola Ologbongiyan, yesterday alerted Nigerians and the international community of designs being promoted by the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to incite violence and disrupt the smooth conduct of the 2023 presidential election.
In a statement by the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaigns, Ologbindiyan said “This apprehension is heightened by the viral video making the rounds in which Tinubu, having been intimidated by the rising acceptance of the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, across our nation, and knowing that there is no way he can win in a peaceful and credible election, has directed his party members to put aside decorum and deploy violence in the 2023 general elections.
“Nigerians were horror-struck to watch the deflated and demystified APC Presidential candidate inciting his supporters by stating that “political power is not going to be served in a restaurant, it is not served a la carte. It is what we are doing; it is being determined; you do it at all costs; fight for it, grab it, snatch it and run (away) with it.
“Tinubu’s directive that his supporters should “fight for”, “grab” and “snatch” political power with a confession that “it is what we are doing” validates apprehensions by Nigerians that the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign is behind the attacks on the campaign rallies of the PDP as well as the series of arsons on the facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“It is now clear that the Tinubu/Shettima’s Campaign is in bitter condemnation of INEC’s decision to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and Results Viewing Portal as a ploy to incite their thugs against INEC, having realised that the direct transmission of election results will scuttle APC’s rigging plans,” Ologbondiyan stated.
He said the inciting comment by Tinubu substantiates the suspicion by Nigerians that the alarm raised by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Major General Lucky Irabor, concerning pressures on the military to compromise the electoral process is pointing towards the direction of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign.
According to him, “Nigerians can now understand why the APC Presidential Candidate avoided the signing of the Peace Accord; why he has not condemned or issued any caution against acts of violence linked to members of his party and why his body language and comments have demonstrably been in promotion of violence.
“After a thorough review of the inciting video in circulation, other inflammatory comments and apparent tacit support for violence, it appears that the ‘The Emilokan of Bourdillon’ (it is my turn) has gone into a wave of “if I can’t have it then we destroy it” mode ahead of the elections.
“Our Campaign charges the security agencies to closely monitor the activities of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign given its proclivity to violence and apparent plot to derail the smooth conduct of the 2023 general elections.”
The Atiku/Okowa Campaign commended Nigerians for being resolute in their determination to vote in the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to commence the onerous task of ‘change the change’, “ rescue our nation and rebuild her prosperity from the misrule of the APC”.
