Opposition political parties have knocked President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), for gloating over what they described as the 2023 electoral heist which is still being challenged at the Presidential Election Tribunal.
National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba said President Buhari’s claims that the opposition lost the 2023 general elections due to overconfidence and lack of strategy were not only unfortunate, reckless, and unpresidential but also subjudice.
Ologunagba said this at a press conference, in Abuja, last Friday.
He explained that the President’s comment is already causing apprehension and is capable of destroying Nigeria’s corporate existence as a nation.
The PDP spokesman said, “As you are aware, February 25, 2023, Presidential election has been adjudged across the nation and globally as the worst in the history of our country.
“The Presidential election was marred by brazen violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Regulations and Guidelines; manipulation of processes, alteration of genuine results from Polling Units, the announcement of fabricated figures and climaxed by the vexatious declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner.
“The general despondency, resentment and anger across our country; the damning reports by election observers and the pervading international contempt against Nigeria since the declaration of the APC candidate as President-elect are ominous testaments that he does not have the mandate of majority of Nigerians derivable only from a credible electoral process.
“Nigerians and the International Community are therefore appalled, horrified and scandalised by the careless, unguarded and subjudice comment by President Buhari in which he attempted to justify the rigging of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election by the APC under his watch.”
Speaking further he said the President’s statement reveals the utter disregard that he has for our constitutional democracy, judiciary and the will of the Nigerian people as expressed at the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.
He said, “It is, to say the least, reprehensible for Mr. President to posture and gloat over the trampling of the will of Nigerians, blame the opposition for being overconfident and, according to him, for not being “tactical”, perhaps enough to outwit the violence, brutality, threats, suppression of voters, rigging and election manipulations by the APC and the government which he heads.
“It is unpardonable that President Buhari, who swore to uphold the laws of our country and made several commitments to the world to ensure free, fair, credible and transparent election, is rather in approval of election rigging through manifest compromise of INEC system and wide-spread alteration, falsification and switching of election results in favour of his rejected party, the APC.
“President Buhari is practically gloating over the undermining of democracy by INEC which refused to transmit directly results from the Polling Units to its Server/Website and announce same, in total violation of the express provisions of Section 64 Sub-section 4 (a) (b) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Speaking in a similar vein, the Chief Spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, said the Buhari Presidency should bury its head in shame for trying to justify a brazen attempt to steal the people’s mandate. This administration which benefited from a free and fair election in 2015 has failed in all areas of governance. Is our refusal as a party to join the APC in ‘snatching, grabbing and running away with power using violence and intimidation the lack of strategy he is talking about?
“Nigerians are today more divided than any time in our history, farmers can no longer go to their farms because they are being attacked by bandits, the economy is in shambles-Nigeria under Buhari’s watch attained the inglorious position as the world’s poverty capital, yet what he is concerned about is how to defend the indefensible. It’s unfortunate.”
Also, the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement in Abuja, described the president’s views as expressed by his Senior Special Assistant (Media), Mallam Garba Shehu, as unpresidential and disturbing.
He noted that the President’s statement was another desperate attempt by the ruling party to seek validation for the electoral fraud which it now celebrates as a victory.
Ifoh said, “We want to point it out clearly to President Muhammadu Buhari that his position on the outcome of the said election was untrue, and it is not a true reflection of what played out during the election”.