APC, PDP clash over alleged plot to derail polls

The Peoples Democratic Party on Friday accused the All Progressives Congress of plotting to derail the 2023 presidential election.

It alleged that the ruling party was blackmailing critical election stakeholders to accede to its design to postpone the general elections, particularly the February 25, 2023, presidential election.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, disclosed this at a press conference on Friday at the party’s headquarters in Abuja.

Ologunagba stated that the second attempt by the APC was to mislead the public by falsely claiming that the PDP had no candidate for the Borno Central Senatorial District election.

He said, “Our party had earlier alerted the nation of a well-oiled plot by the APC to orchestrate the security situation and promote circumstances to warrant the postponement of the 2023 general elections by INEC.

“The second is the attempt by the APC to mislead the public by falsely claiming that the PDP has no candidate for the Borno Central Senatorial District Election.

According to him, the ultimate intent of the APC was to use unfounded circumstances to derail the entire electoral process and impose an undemocratic situation on the country.

“The PDP hereby insists without equivocation that the February 25, 2023, presidential and National Assembly election dates are sacrosanct. The February 25, 2023 date is already locked.

Ologunagba added, “The APC and its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, know that they have no chance at all in the coming elections, having been rejected by Nigerians because of their multiple failures, recklessness, humongous corruption, violence and continuing infliction of pains, hardship and life-discounting experiences on Nigerians in the last seven and half years.

“Nigerians are not ready to continue with a hopelessly corrupt, miserably incompetent, and viciously insensitive political party, the APC, which has mortgaged the future of our country with an accumulated N77trn debt as revealed by the Debt Management Office.

“This explains why the APC and its presidential candidate continue to promote and allegedly encourage violence in various parts of our country including attacking INEC facilities.”

But the APC described the allegations by the PDP as one that showed that the opposition party was confused and afraid of its shadow

In a statement issued by the Director, Media, and Publicity, of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, the party said, “We have nothing but pity for a party that has become a mess and total embarrassment to itself and its despondent members.

“For lack of anything tangible to tell Nigerians six weeks to a general election as its candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, disappeared from the campaign trail, PDP has resorted to making irresponsible statements just to fill media space.

“The latest is the false information that the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission plan to postpone the general elections. Nigerians are advised to ignore this senseless conjecture from the PDP as there is no iota of truth in the allegation.

“The electoral umpire has made it abundantly clear of its readiness to conduct the elections and these elections will hold as scheduled in February and March this year.

“Knowing that it has no path to victory and no real agenda for development to sell to Nigerians by its absentee presidential candidate, PDP has nothing profitable again to engage in other than raising the false alarms, manufacturing outright lies, and disseminating innuendos to deceive the public.

“PDP should know that Nigerians have rejected it and no amount of falsehood can redeem a political party that wrecked our economy, under its watch, created massive insecurity, and looted money meant for development.