The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday, said leaders of the international community were expecting the declaration of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as president of Nigeria.
The party insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari did not win the 2019 general election.
Secondus spoke at the 86th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party in Abuja, yesterday.
He said: “The European Union election observation group, the American-based National Democratic Institute (NDI), and International Republican Institute (IRI) have confirmed the feeling of Nigerians that the election that produced President Muhammadu Buhari was marred by rampant irregularities and therefore fell below credibility standard.
“The report also lampooned the roles of security agencies during the election, and noted that the performance of security operatives during the election fell far below the acceptable international best practice.
“From these reports, therefore, it’s now obvious even globally that the will of Nigerian voters freely expressed on 23 February, 2019, when they came out in their numbers and voted for our candidate Atiku Abubakar was massively rigged and thwarted. This clearly is the verdict of the world leaders, who are also watching us as we proceed at the election tribunal.
“This government in all sincerity cannot take this country to their so-called next level. Maybe, as witnessed in the last four years, they will take us to the next level of insecurity, hunger and hopelessness.
“The situation is precarious and it entails that all hands must be on deck to retrieve our stolen mandate and save this country. To do that, we must return to God to ask that the will of Nigerian people freely expressed on February 23, 2019, prevails.”
Secondus also revealed how Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila emerged as Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker, respectively.
He alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) bribed lawmakers to ensure its candidates won.
The national chairman said while the executive arm was having their wish in the 9th National Assembly, PDP as the main opposition party was “very uncomfortable that the level of alleged corruption that preceded the emergence of the leadership is capable of undermining the desired robust legislative activities”.
Secondus said: “Having ‘purchased’ the leadership of the parliament, we expect the cabals to now fully take over and dictate the show at the legislature. We have even seen the first sign of what is to come when the APC group in the Senate killed a motion to debate the June 12 speech of the imperial President.
“Only a conquered parliament with credibility challenge can shy away from discussing a major address of a President just sworn into office, but that is a sign of what is to come when choosing legislative leadership is heavily monetized by a regime that claims to be fighting corruption.
“The bazaar that took place during the election of National Assembly leaders clearly gives a picture of the anti-corruption status and how the APC has become home for looters. Just last week Nigerians witnessed how some corruption charges involving APC chieftains were withdrawn from the EFCC and handed over to the Attorney General for final dropping.
“Permit me at this juncture, dear leaders, to express the disappointment of our party on the embarrassing roles of some of our party members at the National Assembly during the election of their leaders.
“Party loyalty demands that you stick to your party at any given situation. When personal interest clash with party interest, personal should drown into that of the party, that’s what real democrats are expected to do.”
Meanwhile, ahead of the November 16 governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states, the PDP has pegged the cost of its nomination forms at N20 million.
The form, which sold for N5million during the 2019 general election would now cost more given what the party described as the rising cost of printing and logistics.
The decision was taken at the 86th emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP which held at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja, yesterday.