Jega: PDP Disowns Fayose’s Utterance …As Youths Threaten To Occupy Abuja

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has said Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State was not speaking for the party on the call for the sacking of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega.
Fayose had called for the sacking of Jega, adding that if President Goodluck Jonathan goes ahead to remove him, heaven will not fall.
But the party said the governor was merely expressing his personal opinion and that his statement should not be construed to mean the position of the party on the issue.
Deputy National Chairman of the Party, Prince Uche Secondus, stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
He said, “We are not fighting Jega. The opinion expressed by the governor of Ekiti State on the INEC chairman remains his own. He’s not speaking for the party.”
He further denied that the PDP was pressured or is pressuring the President to sack Jega, saying, “never, nothing like that is even cooking. There is no plan to remove Jega,” adding that the party has “absolute confidence in INEC and its leadership.”
Secondus also boasted that the PDP will win ýthe 2015 election comfortably, adding that the party will not bribe voters to return President Jonathan into office.
“We won’t bribe voters to return the President into office. As a matter of fact, we have never bribed voters before, during or after elections,” he added.
Secondus, who said the PDP is ready for the 2015 elections, said it has decentralised their campaigns from wards to the polling units, stressing therefore that claims that it was afraid of the use of Permanent Voter Cars and card readers were not true.
While responding to allegations that PDP is jittery over the use of card readers, Secondus said “Not at all. You know this is the first time that the party is going to try this technology.
“I think that this misinformation by APC must be corrected. The PDP is not against card readers. The PDP believes that INEC should test it and it should be in perfect condition, so that we don’t run into problems. So that on that day, we don’t have problems of it working in some areas and in other areas it won’t work.
“Since it is the first time we will adopt this technology, it should be in perfect condition so that people will not have cause to complain. This is the position of the party and I want to make it clear to Nigerians that the PDP is not against the card reader but we urge INEC to test run them so that they will be in perfect condition on election days.”
Meanwhile, Ahead of the March general election, youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held a strategy meeting on Thursday in Abuja with a vow to resist any act of interference in the electoral process, including an alleged move to oust the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega.
Speaking at the meeting attended by the zonal and state APC youth leaders, the Zonal Youth leader for North West, Mr. Shehu Marshal the country has witnessed a lot of political maneuverings by the Peoples Democratic Party in recent times aimed at interfering with the electoral process.
He threatened that APC youths groups will not hesitate to occupy Aso Rock and other major cities in the country if election is not held on March 28.-
“Our position is that the march 28 and April 11 election dates are sacrosanct otherwise we will occupy Aso Rock and other major cities in Nigeria.
While addressing the youth leaders, the party’s National Youth Leader, Mr. Ibrahim Jalo, said the fact that the party as a law abiding entity had accepted the shifting the election date does not mean that it would tolerate Ny further postponement of the polls.
“We want to tell them that we have accepted it has our leaders have accepted but election will be held on the 28 of March and that 28 remain sacrosanct because we will not tolerate any other shift in election dates.
“As law abiding citizens we have accepted it but if it come to a point that the government and INEC does not want to conduct election we will definitely have to take the necessary steps legally possible,” he said.
Reacting to the reports that INEC chairman, Prof. Jega may be removed before the election, the youth leader said though his party does not have any business with who is INEC chairman, but that since Jega is doing a good job, he should be allow to continue his good job.
“ If they remove him that will take us back and everything has to start afresh from the beginning, even though they have no reason whatsoever to do that.”

The All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, arriving the venue for a ward rally at Orosikiri Community in Bonny Local Government Area