Supplementary Elections: PDP Criticises Buhari On Neutrality Statement

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as mere posturing the President’s warning to members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the states where elections were declared inconclusive by INEC not to expect him to influence the outcome of the supplementary polls.

In a statement on Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, asked the APC in the affected states to prepare well for the polls, restating the President’s promise to ensure that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) carry out its duties effectively without interference.

He stated that some APC members and others from the opposition were already criticising President Buhari ahead of the election, but he insisted that President Buhari would not compromise his integrity.

But in a statement, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that the President’s pronouncement was a “fresh subterfuge to divert public attention from APC’s rigging plots ahead of the supplementary elections”.

He added, “The PDP alerts Nigerians, especially those in states where the supplementary elections have been scheduled to hold, to be wary of the antics of the Buhari Presidency, as it has never been committed to free, fair and credible election.”

“President Buhari cannot exonerate himself of the harm inflicted on our polity by the deployment of soldiers in the 2019 general elections, as nobody deploys the military except the President and Commander-in-Chief.”

While urging the military to steer clear of the supplementary elections, taking into account the Presidency’s statement, the PDP also cautioned INEC officials to note that “Nigerians are not ready to accept any results that do not reflect the reality of our victory, which is already known to all.”