The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, to stop posturing as if they truly have the mandate of Nigerians for a second tenure in the Presidency, saying they rigged the 2019 Presidential election “won by Atiku Abubakar”, its Presidential candidate.
This is even as the party PDP chided President Buhari for allegedly trying to use another promise of true federalism to “earn legitimacy for a rigged election, a ploy that is dead on arrival, as Nigerians are very much aware that he and his party, the APC, have never shown any commitment towards true federalism.”
A statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan yesterday noted that Nigerians have already bought into Atiku Abubakar’s blueprint for governance, particularly his manifest genuine commitment towards the implementation of true federalism and cannot fall for “empty promises by President Buhari and the APC.”
It continued: “President Buhari ought to have known that Nigerians have seen through APC’s empty promises and beguilements and as such, cannot jettison the presidential mandate they gave to Atiku Abubakar, who they know, have the commitment and will power to implement true federalism in our country, when he retrieves his mandate at the courts.
“Nigerians have not forgotten how President Buhari in his 2018 New Year address, rejected the idea of restructuring, by declaring that ‘When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure.’
“They can also recall how on June 9, 2017, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, in a Radio Nigeria, FRCN, interview programme, had stated that restructuring is not President Buhari’s priority.
“Nigerians can also recall how the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, on June 29, 2017, during an interview on Channels TV, denied that the APC promised restructuring and described Nigerians, who are taking his party to task on the issue, as ‘political opportunists and irresponsible people.’
“Our citizens have not forgotten ‘to hell with restructuring,’ outburst of Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, a statement that captures the mindset of the totality of APC leaders towards true federalism and restructuring.
“The PDP therefore counsels President Buhari’s handlers to help him use the remaining part of this tenure to find solutions to the problems caused by his incompetent administration, instead of engaging in unnecessary acceptance shopping mechanisms for a rigged 2019 presidential election.
“Nigerians are determined that Atiku Abubakar will retrieve his stolen mandate at the court and they look up to him for a transparent, honest and purposeful administration, committed to repositioning our nation, including building institutions that will engender true federalism, good governance, national cohesion and economic prosperity in our nation.”
Also,the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has derided the President Muhammadu Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for thinking that moving major events of its planned Presidential inauguration from May 29 to June 12, the democracy Day, can confer any form of legitimacy to the outcome of the rigged 2019 Presidential election.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by Kola Ologbondiyan, it National Publicity Secretary, the party also asserted that inviting world leaders to the event cannot confer international recognition on “a stolen mandate.”
The main opposition party stated: “It is clear that the Buhari Presidency and the APC, being tormented by the guilt of violating our electoral processes, can no longer boldly approach the oath book on May 29, due to the burden of illegitimacy and now seeks refuge in the sanctity of June 12, our Democracy Day.
“The Buhari Presidency and the APC from our recent history have demonstrated that they are totally averse to democracy. They should, therefore, steer clear of our Democracy Day, having violated all our democratic ethos in manipulating the Presidential elections and upturning the mandate of the people; the same injustice which Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of June 12, fought and died for.
“Chief Abiola stood and died for democracy. Any attempt therefore to schedule an event related to the outcome of the rigged 2019 Presidential election on June 12 would be an open desecration of the sanctity of the Democracy day and a direct assault to the sensibilities of Nigerians
“Moreover, the PDP rejects this absurd desperation by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to overshadow the import of our Democracy Day and stifle the quest by Nigerians to vent their anger against the democratic violations of the APC administration in the last four years.
The PDP counselled the Buhari Presidency to note that trying to seize the nation’s Democracy Day “cannot confer legitimacy to a rigged election, neither can it erase the litany of violations including human rights abuses, assault on democratic institutions, particularly the Legislature and the Judiciary; clamp down on opposition figures, clipping of the media, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and illegal detention of citizens, and the rigging of the 2019 Presidential election.”
According to the statement, the PDP wants the Buhari Presidency and the APC to understand that what is paramount to majority of Nigerians now is the retrieval of the “stolen mandate, which they freely gave to Atiku Abubakar, at the tribunal so that our nation can enjoy the values of freedom, justice, fairness and equity embedded in our constitutional democracy.”
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Advocacy for Advancement of Peace and Harmony in Africa Initiative (ADAPHAI), has blamed President Muhammadu Buhari, and other political office holders in Nigeria for the spate of insecurity in Nigeria.
The group argued that the Buhari-led Federal Government, with other political leaders at other tiers of government, have not been selfless and be proactive in tackling various National challenges, adding that “they have all failed Nigerians in all ways”.
This was contained in a statement signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Sulaimon Suberu, the copy which was sent to newsmen, in Abuja, yesterday.
It alleged that several billions of naira reportedly earmarked for security purpose in the name of security votes and allocations to security agencies have gone into private pockets with impunity.
ADAPHAI said torrents of complaints by junior security operatives, including those at the front lines indicate that there is high level of corruption in the Nigerian security system, saying the government is not doing enough to monitor and sanitise the sector.
The group further expressed concern on the frequency of kidnappings and banditry around the country, especially in the North West and North East of the country and called for concerted efforts to curb the menace.
“How else would one describe the present state of security architecture of Nigeria, where banditry and kidnappings are order of the day, threatening the nation’s economic and socio-political life.
“This renewed spate of criminality in our communities has exposed President Buhari as a weakling and less proactive, without clear vision of leading the country to the path of peace and progress.
“Since the primary obligation of government, in consonance with our constitution is to guarantee welfare and security of the citizenry, definitely this government has failed Nigerians rather, unfortunately,” the statement said.
The group, however, canvassed for community-based security strategy, in which the locals would be engaged to do the bulk of intelligence gathering to expose heinous activities and nip criminality in the bud.
It maintained that local communities with versed knowledge of their terrain should be used as surveillance in the quest of fighting insecurity.
In a related development, Hope Democratic Party (HDP) and its Presidential candidate, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru have asked the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to stop the planned swearing-in of President Muhammadu Buhari as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29, 2019.
Owuru and his party had insisted that it will be unfair and unjust to swear Buhari in as President on the ground that validity of the election that produced is being challenged at the Tribunal.
The petitioners, in a motion on notice filed on May 9, 2019, prayed for an order of the Tribunal to stop the President from presenting himself for inauguration on May 29 or any other date until all petitions challenging his election have been fully settled.
Owuru and his party also prayed for another order stopping the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad from inaugurating or administering the oath of office and oath of allegiance on Buhari until all court actions challenging his election are determined.
In the motion brought pursuant to Section 1, 6, 139, 239 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) and Section 26 and 138 of the Electoral Act 2010, HDP and its Presidential candidate, the two petitioners claimed that unless Buhari is stopped from been inaugurated, he will foist a state of hopelessness on the Tribunal.
In the motion signed by Mike Okoye, the two petitioners said that they are challenging the validity of Buhari’s election in grounds of non-compliance and violation of the provision of the electoral laws.
They further averred that a petition dated March 7, 2019, had been duly served on Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) questioning the return of Buhari as the president-elect and that parties have exchanged pleadings.
The two petitioners claimed that, in spite of the pendency and scheduled hearing of their petition against Buhari’s election, Buhari has been making frantic efforts and preparations to be sworn in and inaugurated on May 29 by inviting the CJN and the general public.
They, therefore, insisted that restraining order by the Tribunal is appropriate to preserve the subject matter of their petition and prevent Buhari from foisting a fait accompli and state of hopelessness on the Tribunal and render their petition nugatory.
“The law is settled that once the question of the validity of the election of any person is challenged as to whether he is validly elected or not, that person is not competent to take office or assume the seat of power.
“The constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria prohibits and forbids that Nigeria or any part thereof be governed or taken over by any person or group of persons except in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, “ they averred.
However, when the matter came up on Tuesday, counsel to the petitioners, Oliver Eya sought to move the application but respondents in the matter claimed that they have not been served.
Buhari’s counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), INEC, Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN) and that of APC, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) told the Tribunal that they will need time to respond to the application when served.
President of the Court of Appeal, who is also the chairman of the five-member panel of the Tribunal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, after hearing arguments from parties in the matter, fixed May 22, 2019, for hearing of the motion.
Meanwhile, Buhari, through his counsel, Whole Olanipekun has filed a motion praying the Tribunal to dismiss the petitioner of the Hope Democratic Party on the ground that it was not competent in law.
Olanipekun told the Tribunal that what the party is challenging in the petition is a referendum conducted on February 23, 2019, adding that in law, what INEC conducted was an election and not a referendum.
Justice Bulkachuwa, in a short ruling, announced that all applications in respect of the HDP petition will be heard on May 22.
HDP, in his petition, marked CS/PEPC/001/2019 had joined INEC and APC along with President Buhari as second and third respondents in the petition.
Similarly, the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lifted the suspension of 16 local government council chairmen of the party.
The party announced the recall after the State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the PDP Chairman on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, and made available to The Tide, yesterday, listed the affected local government council chairmen to include, Abua-Odual, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Akuku-Toru, Andoni, and Bonny.
Others are, Degema, Eleme, Emohua, Khana, Obio/Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Okrika, Omuma, Opobo/Nkoro and Oyigbo.
The statement quoted the state PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah as having announced the lifting of the indefinite suspension at the end of the meeting.
While making the announcement, Obuah thanked the deputy chairmen of the affected local government councils for effectively taking charge of their respective council chapters while the suspension lasted.
It would be recalled that the State Executive Committee of the PDP, had in an emergency meeting held Thursday, April 18, at the state party secretariat, approved the indefinite suspension of the 16 local government council party chairmen.