Rig and die: Youths group back Buhari, warn troublemakers to stay off poll

THE Progressive Yoruba Youths (PYY) has backed president Muhammadu Buhari over strict measures put in place against Nigerians plotting to jeopardise the forthcoming elections.

President Buhari during the All Progressive Congress (APC) caucus meeting on Monday, threatened to come hard on those with plans to rig the elections.

The president’s warning didn’t go down well with some Nigerians especially the opposition and so many others who condemned the statement.

However, the foremost Yoruba youth group has thrown its weight behind the president’s latest move to drastically halt this shameless trend.

The Progressive Yoruba Youths offered their support in a press statement released by Kola Salawu, it’s National President.

According to the group, the declaration was a wake-up call to security agencies to be unrelenting and decisive in dealing with potential ballot box snatchers, an ugly practice that has been the bane of previous elections.

The PYY added that the targets were not innocent, law-abiding Nigerians rather miscreants, hiding under the shade of IPOB, state government armed militias, armed terrorists and other scum of humanity that the PDP had mobilized for the purpose of snatching ballot boxes.

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“Once these ballot boxes have been snatched the result written under the supervision of our disgraced elder, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in Abeokuta, Ogun state would have then been substituted for the actual votes in the stolen ballots.

“As part of the scheme, the PDP has compromised some corrupt senior officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who would have gone ahead to accept the pre-written results since they have pre-thumb printed ballot papers that match the fake results they were to declare.

“More than the angst at the prospect of their errand boys being killed in the course of snatching ballot boxes, the critics of President Buhari’s assertion are pained that their overall plans have been thrown into a shambles because the scheme to the rig cannot be implemented in the absence of violence and ballot snatching. The pre-written result in custody of the compromised INEC officials will no longer tally with the vote cast once the ballot snatchers have been put out of commission.

“We, therefore, see no reason for law abiding citizens to be concerned over the “snatch ballot box and die” comment. Those that had earlier signed up as ballot snatchers have the option of refunding the amounts they have been paid to become cannon fodder. They can also opt to hold onto the money they have been paid since it is not possible for the PDP chieftains that mobilized them to sue for breach of contract as an agreement entered into, in pursuit of committing a crime is non-enforceable, especially when this particular deal is with the intention to tamper with Nigeria’s democracy.

“It is, however, pertinent that we point out where our position slightly differs from that held by Mr President. It is not enough to decisively deal with ballot snatchers, who are mere puppets. It is pertinent that the hands manipulating the puppets are decisively dealt with. With the benefit of technology and forensics, law enforcement agencies should track down those that issued the order for ballot snatching and make them pay for their crimes against democracy and for insulting Nigerians in the worst way possible. So we appeal to Mr President to direct law enforcement agents.

“Those who were to validate and accept pre-written results, made possible by ballot snatching, should be treated as accessories to this nefarious election crime in Nigeria. We understand that several of them have not only been identified but the tainted money they were paid for in this coup against the country have been traced to several accounts. Persons that allowed themselves to be compromised in such manners have no business around election matters. They must, therefore, be immediately arrested and arraigned for trial on the strength of the evidence against them.

“We expected that the directive to security agencies to be ruthless should extend to those that carry out acts of violence in and around voting venues since there is an indication that PDP has also recruited thugs to prevent people from voting in areas that are not its stronghold. The point must be made for the PDP to understand that it does not have the monopoly of violence and that no individual, organization or political party can match the sanctity of the state and its legitimacy to protect citizens. Law enforcement agencies must, therefore, be ready at all times to prove everyone wrong that the sovereignty of Nigeria cannot be negotiated with any band of miscreants.”