'Saturday’s off-season elections confirmed our worst fears' - PDP

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Amb. Umar Damagun, has said Saturday’s off-season governorship elections especially in Kogi and Imo States confirmed the party’s worst fears about the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

He said this while speaking to journalists after a meeting of the party’s National Working Committee at the PDP National Secretariat, on Tuesday.

Damagun said, “We want to state in clear terms that the election held on Saturday has further confirmed the fears that have been laid on the umpire. We have seen all sorts of violence, intimidation and high-handedness.

“This has further confirmed that the electoral body has completely derailed from the road it was supposed to take. People have lost confidence; voters were completely disenfranchised due to the complicity of some of the agencies that were to help to have a very fair election but they completely compromised.

“This election is worse than even the one we had earlier. I want to use this medium to tell Nigerians that this is not what we bargained for and also express our fear that if we go on in this kind of manner, I am afraid that come other elections that will be off season which is coming up very soon, may be there will be no election in this country. It will be a written result.

“I ask all Nigerians to pray for this country because I don’t know if this is a cause that has happened to us in this country or if this is our way. We should pray that if this is what we are, then God should intervene.

“However, those that have been be cheated in this election should purse their grievance through the lawful means even though we have doubts that even the lawful means is also a sad story. In a country where justice is not dispensed, then anarchy is imminent.”

Speaking about the party’s internal squabbles, Damagun said, “As you can see, we’ve been doing everything possible to make sure that this party remain indivisible and we will continue to do that.

“I want to urge our members to be very cautious especially in the way and manner they state things. They should always state facts because it is only the facts that lasts. I want to assure them that we will continue to do justice to all.

“We are ready to take all the blames because after every election there will be blames but all members should reflect on the roles they played during campaigns, during elections and after. We should have a self-reflection so that at the end of the day, we shall know weather we are doing the right thing because we all need this party. Our duty here is to make sure that this party remains indivisible.”

The party Chairman also used the opportunity to address the controversy over the position of the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

He explained that, the PDP as a law abiding party will remain at the forefront of respecting judicial pronouncements while pursuing amicable settlement of disputes among members whenever they occur.

Damagun said, “Since there are conflicting court orders, we urged the two sides to stand down and we have agreed and appointed the Deputy National Secretary to continue to act as Secretary pending the time we will resolve all the issues; the conflicting court orders and resolutions of the south east. So there is no conflict and we are together and thinking together on this issue.”