The All Progressives Congress presidential campaign council (APC PCC) has issued a warning to the Labour Party (LP) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to refrain from inciting Nigerians and heating the polity with unflattering comments. This comes in the wake of reports of violence during the presidential and National Assembly polls held on Saturday, which led to the loss of lives and disruption of the voting process in many parts of the country.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, Festus Keyamo, the Chief Spokesman for APC PCC, revealed that the PCC had observed certain subtle threats of violence from the camps of the opposition parties as the results of the elections started trickling in. The statement further reiterated that if Nigeria is going to witness a smooth transition from the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the opposition parties must conduct themselves with decorum instead of heating the polity.
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to some incendiary comments by spokespersons of the opposition parties, notably the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party regarding the yet-to-be-announced results of the elections that were held yesterday. Some of them have threatened fire and brimstone if their version of some concocted results is not announced in a bid to be the judge, jury, and executioner in these elections.”
The statement also pointed out that while the opposition parties were playing up some isolated incidents of violence in their strongholds, the APC had tons of videos of massive electoral malpractices, including violence against non-LP supporters, forcing and guiding women and children to thumb-print ballot papers for LP, and massive thumb-printing of ballot papers by both PDP and LP supporters in some parts of the country.
The APC PCC called on all parties to abide by the terms of the Peace Accord, which they all signed twice before the eyes of the world, and to show love for the country over and above personal ambitions. The statement also urged the international observers and friends of Nigeria not to be distracted but to focus on the process as it unfolds.
The statement concluded, “Now is the time to hear the voices of Nigerians as the results are released and not our voices. The body officially designated to reflect the voices of Nigerians is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). No Party can bully them by threatening to do its bidding. Neither will the APC be cowed into silence by this disgusting antics of the opposition parties.”
