The Osun state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on western nations to place visa ban on some leaders of All Peoples Congress (APC) following their public declaration to rig the July 16 Osun governorship election.
The petition was sent to the Ambassadors of United States of America, the High Commissioners of United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union with the party documenting the utterances and public instruction of the National Chairman of the APC, Abdulahi Adamu to APC campaign Council to rig the July 16th election.
The petition signed by the State Caretaker Chairman of the party, Dr Akindele Adekunle read in part as follow : ” We are constrained to bring to the attention of Your Excellencies the grand plot by the National and State leadership of the All Progressive Congress(APC) to undermine the electoral process and subvert the will of Osun people in the forthcoming state election. The ruling party has openly and expressly directed its operatives to deploy all means including undemocratic measures like violence and poll disruption to win the election.
“The National Chairman of APC, Adamu Abdulahi had while inaugurating the State Campaign Council issued the directive last week and the video of the directive has gone viral. Unfortunately, APC operatives in Osun state have started executing the directive with ongoing killings and maiming of PDP leaders and members across the state. Our party just petitioned the Inspector General of Police on recent killings and attacks including the direct involvement of Amotekun, the state security force alongside political thugs lead by Chairman of road transport workers union in the state, Asiri Eniba.
” The APC operatives have also launched systematic subversion of the electoral process, tampering with the preparatory stage including collection of voters cards, coercion of state workers, vote buying among others. Strong arm tactics are also being deployed to appoint APC members as INEC officials including direct connivance of the state electoral officials with top Osun state government operatives.
” On our part, we have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his party chairman to order. While electoral malpractice is a challenge in the electoral process, this is the first time a National Chairman of a ruling party would openly and unapologetically directed rigging of an upcoming election. We had given the Nigerian leadership opportunity to disown the undemocratic agenda of the party chief and we are expanding the net by calling on your Excellencies to place a visa ban on top leaders of APC and Osun state government officials involved in the planned subversion of the will of the people.
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” We call on friends of Nigeria in the democratic world to rise in defence of democratic rights of Osun people to elect leaders of their choice. Our call is significant and critical to sustenance of Nigerian democratic ideals. Your Excellency may want to know that Nigeria’s crisis started with the rigging of western region election in 1964 and continued with the rigging of 1983 elections in old Oyo state. Friends of Nigeria are called upon to act now before it is too late.”, the statement concluded.
