'Power must snatched at all cost' - Dino Melaye accuses Tinubu of planning election violence, shares viral video

Senator Dino Melaye, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign council has chided the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for asking party members to fight for power at all costs ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The now-viral video which was recorded by a middle-aged man in London, showed the APC presidential candidate addressing party members after his outing at Chatham House.

In the trending video, Tinubu charged top campaign operatives to “fight”, “grab” and “run [away] with” political power.

He said: “Political power is not going to be served in a restaurant. They don’t serve it a la carte. At all cost, fight for it, grab it and run with it,” members of the party hailed Tinubu with thunderous applause after his comments.

Reacting, Melaye wrote on his Twitter page: “How else will power be snatched through the ballot box if not a resort to violence, electoral violation, and other unorthodox methods of grabbing power.

It is now very clear why Tinubu refused to sign the Peace Accord. The international community and security agencies take note.”

Also reacting, the chief spokesperson of the Labour Party, LP, presidential campaign council, Yunusa Tanko has cautioned that the speech of power grabbing by Tinubu in London restaurant is capable of propelling massive violence in 2023 general elections.

In a statement posted on the party's website, Tanko said: “I don’t think it’s appropriate to go to a civilised clime and start talking about power grabbing in a UK restaurant for that matter and I very much doubt whether the APC presidential candidate has even bothered to sign the peace accord for 2003 polls.

“If he has done it, then his vituperation on grabbing power come what may is uncalled for because this is capable of making his supporters have that mindset on using violence to deliver votes.

“Elections must be conducted in violence-free environment and Tinubu saying things like this is really unpalatable barely three months to the presidential election.”



NBA