BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
The All Progressives Congress has berated the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party for making comments it cannot substantiate against the APC.
The APC in a statement signed by the National Secretary of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Commitee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe said, “The idle conspiracies and wild allegations being bandied by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the procurement of E-voting machines and plans to rig the 2023 elections, is clear testimony that the PDP has already conceded election defeat long before the 2023 electioneering process.”
The APC noted that in PDP’s desperate bid to remain in public reckoning, the party has recently resorted to many diversionary activities, including the recent misguided court case instituted against the national caretaker leadership of the APC which has been generally dismissed as an abuse of court process. The PDP has now issued an irrational and baseless statement on imagined plans to rig the 2023 general elections.
“The PDP is clearly unsettled and afraid of the our party’s widespread popularity. Hence, its imaginary, baseless and concocted allegations of a plan to rig the 2023 elections. The APC will not learn the PDP’s bad habits on election fraud,” he said.
He further noted that on the part of the APC, there was no need to rig any election because the electoral choice has already been made by Nigerians who continue to vote for the party, adding, “our latest victory being the bye-election for the House of Representatives seat for the Lere Federal Constituency in Kaduna State.”
The CECPC Secretary claimed that the PDP’s past and current antecedents, are obvious reasons that Nigerians would continue to reject the party.
“PDP’s rejection is further reinforced by APC’s widely accepted and hugely successful membership registration exercise which has recorded APC membership strength at over 40 million. The gale of defections by PDP members and leaders to the APC has left the failed opposition party in a comatose state, rendering it incapable of matching the APC in a free, fair and transparent electoral contest,” he noted.
While arguing that the rudderless PDP leadership has undoubtedly brought the failed opposition party to its knees permanently, the ruling party claimed that under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government, the credibility of elections has continued to improve.
He said, “The APC will continue to support constitutionally-permitted innovations by our election management bodies to ensure the sanctity of votes and the entire electioneering process. In all elections, valid votes must count and the will of the majority of electorates must prevail. That is our progressive mantra in the APC,” he added.
