Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party have accused the Federal Government of intimidation and anti-democratic actions during the just concluded by-elections in the country.

But the Presidency described the allegations as baseless, adding that the governors were merely hurting from their losses at the polls.

Allegations of vote-buying, violence and low voter turnout had trailed the August 9 by-elections, which were conducted to fill vacant senatorial and House of Representatives’ seats following the death and resignation of former occupants.

At the end of the exercise, the All Progressives Congress won elections in 12 constituencies, while the PDP won only one.

The All Progressives Grand Alliance picked up two, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party clinched one.

But the PDP and other opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress and the NNPP, rejected the outcome, accusing the ruling party of using federal might to rig the elections in several states.

‘FG intimidating opposition’

In a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting in Gusau, Zamfara State, on Saturday, the PDP Governors’ Forum alleged that the polls were marred by intimidation and excessive deployment of security forces.

“The Forum condemns the over-militarisation of last Saturday’s by-elections characterised by widespread irregularities, vote-buying and violence, and calls on Nigerians to be more circumspect in protecting their votes.

“The Forum expresses profound gratitude to members and supporters of the PDP nationwide for their steadfast loyalty in the face of serious intimidation and untold anti-democratic actions of the APC-led Federal Government in the last by-elections,” the communiqué read.

The governors commended the resilience of the party in standing against “orchestrated defections.”

They said the distraction would not diminish the PDP’s appeal or “the growing public yearning for the return of affordable living and relative security experienced under PDP-led administrations.”

“We urge members and supporters of our great party, as well as the entire citizenry, to hold fast to the vision and principles of the PDP, in spite of the growing intimidation of the opposition by the government in power.

“This sad situation should only be seen as the sign of the desperation of a political party with no agenda, no vision and doomed to face inevitable rejection by the masses,” the governors stated.

Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said the allegations against the Federal Government lacked evidence.

He said, “What anti-democratic actions and intimidation are they talking about? You contested an election and you lost. It just shows that the PDP have lost it. Instead of admitting that they have failed, they are making up excuses. There is nothing undemocratic in the posture of this government.”

He insisted that opposition parties were neither harassed nor denied freedom to campaign, vote, or air their views, adding that their candidates were protected by security agencies during the by-elections.

According to him, it is in the interest of any ruling government to have a strong opposition, as it strengthens democracy and keeps the government on its toes.

He, however, lamented that both the PDP and the coalition were in “total disarray.”

Ajayi maintained that the government remained focused on repositioning the economy and would not be distracted by what he described as “falsehood and excuses” from the opposition.

Efforts to reach the APC national leadership proved abortive on Saturday.

However, the Chairman of the APC Forum in North-Central, Saleh Zazzaga, dismissed the governors’ accusations.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Zazzaga argued that the by-election results were a testament to the APC’s strength and the confidence Nigerians reposed in President Bola Tinubu.

He said, “Is there any PDP again? Which faction of the PDP? There is no PDP again now. There are factions. So, we don’t take them seriously. They are divided. So, we have nothing to intimidate anyone with.

“The elections show that we are fully on ground and that President Tinubu is coming back. The masses are truly with us and that was why they voted our party massively at the last by-election.”

Highlighting APC’s electoral wins, Zazzaga pointed to victories in Kano, Kogi and Zamfara states as proof that the party remained the dominant political force.

“We won in Kano, Kogi and even in Zamfara. The last election is like a testing ground for what will happen in 2027,” he added.

He also dismissed the relevance of the PDP governors’ position, arguing that they did not represent the highest decision-making body of their party.

“Are the governors the highest body of the party? They are not the highest body of the party now. The party has their own board members and leaders. So, if the governors issue statements based on certain reasons, we don’t take them seriously,” he said.

Zazzaga further argued that opposition parties were naturally inclined to criticism, no matter the performance of the APC-led administration.