The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organization has raised alarm over an alleged plot by the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, to incite violence in order to derail the 2023 elections.
Spokesperson of the campaign, Kola Ologbodiyan, raised the alarm in a statement he issued in Abuja, on Friday.
However, Tinubu in a swift response described the allegation by the PDP as the height of delusion.
He said the opposition party was already looking for excuses ahead of its imminent defeat at the polls.
Minister of Labour and Employment and Chief Spokesperson of the Tinubu- Shettima Presidential Campaign Council PCC, Mr Festus Keyamo San told Saturday Vanguard that the PDP engaged in this same method of scaremongering in the lead up to the 2019 general election but still lost woefully.
Keyamo said; “This is the height of delusion. This is the same unnecessary scare-mongering they engaged in before the 2019 election and they lost woefully. These same characters were behind such poor showing of the PDP then. They are doing the same thing the same way again and expect a different result.
“With a disjointed party, divided governors and a comatose campaign, the PDP should realise the game is up. They are already finding excuses for their defeat. That is a very poor statement from the PDP’s latest recruit in this campaign!”
Ologbodiyan on his part had said, the campaign “alerts our nation 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.
“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 arson 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 realized that the direct transmission of election results will scuttle APC’s rigging plans.”
He further said, “Moreover, 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.
“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 Commends 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.”
Vanguard
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