PDP cautions INEC over plot to shift 2019 elections

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday counselled President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), to forget the thoughts of staying in power a day beyond May 29, 2019.

The PDP also cautioned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu not to allow the APC and the Presidency to use him to execute their plots to frustrate the conduct of credible 2019 elections and push for illegal tenure elongation for President Buhari.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP declared that it was aware that the mooting of postponement of the already scheduled general elections by the INEC Chairman, ‘is a product of series of clandestine meetings between his commission and the APC on ways to frustrate the 2019 elections, having realized that there is no hope for President Buhari in the polls.”

According to the Party, “Nigerians and the international community have also noted the various ploys by INEC to frustrate a credible election, including its stiff opposition to the amendment of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly to check APC rigging plans in addition to its exposed collaborations with INEC to manipulate the voters register, enrol underage voters and secretly creating 30,000 illegal polling centers in certain remote areas from where it plans to allocate fictitious votes to the APC.

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“Nigerians may recall that the PDP had earlier alerted of the plot by the Buhari Presidency to enmesh the 2019 elections into a needless controversy by deliberately delaying the presentation of the election budget to the National Assembly until the time the parliament was proceeding on annual recess.

“Ostensibly to ensure that the election does not escape controversy, President Buhari demanded that the fund be taken from already approved budget for lawmakers’ constituency votes, despite entreaties by well-meaning Nigerians for a fresh budget for the elections.

“Seeing that Nigerians are standing shoulder to shoulder with the PDP to resist and dismantle their rigging machinery, the APC and Buhari Presidency are now trying to use INEC to frustrate the elections and cause crisis in our country.

“The PDP, therefore, rejects this plot by APC and INEC. The 2019 election must hold as scheduled. Nigerians are ready for elections and cannot wait to vote out President Buhari and his dysfunctional APC.

“In that wise, our party cautions the INEC Chairman to open up, expose the Buhari Presidency and immediately commence the application of its constitutional First Line Charge funding instruments instead entangling itself with the plot to destroy our nation.”