Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was planning to unleash mayhem and get elections stalemated or postponed in some strategic states of the federation.
The party warned President Muhammadu Buhari and his party of the implication of such action, insisting that any move to undermine the resolve of the people, might come with very dire consequences.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the spokesman of PDP and the Director of Media and Publicity of the party presidential campaign organisation, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that particularly reference are the activities of APC’s governorship candidate in Taraba State, Sani Abubakar Danladi, who he said has now resorted to violence having realized that there is absolutely no hope for him and his party in the March 2, 2019 governorship election.
He said, “It is an incontrovertible fact, known to all, that Taraba State is a long established stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that Governor Darius Ishaku has the undiluted backing of overwhelming majority of the electorate across the state, due to his sterling performance in office.
“Being exasperated and frustrated by the popularity of the PDP and Gov. Ishaku, the APC, which is stuck with the most unpopular candidate in the election, is bent at triggering confusion and bloodletting so as to ambush and truncate the electoral process in the state, not minding the human and material damage such portends.
“The PDP has full information of how the APC is working with enemies of Taraba State to inject confusion and escalate insecurity in the state, so that the governorship election will be deferred to enable the federal authorities and security agencies have the opportunity to perpetrate the type of massive rigging that took place in Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections in 2018 and award victory to the APC.
“The APC governorship candidate, who is also personally well reputed for acts that contravene free and fair elections, has been boasting that he has the backing of the Federal Government and some godfathers in Abuja, who have no stake in the peace, unity and development of Taraba State in this ignoble project.
“On Thursday January 17, 2019, the APC, hiding under the guise of campaign unleashed mayhem on Wukari, a major town in Taraba state. Right from Gindin Dorowa, about 40 kilometers to Wukari City, thugs recruited by the APC governorship candidate, went on shooting spree, destroying PDP billboards all the way to Wukari.
“From the Wukari Yam market, APC thugs continued shooting their way into the town as if they were on a mission to conquer the town, while destroying PDP campaign materials including billboards, posters.
“The shooting and unbridling of mayhem continued until they arrived to the city center and close to the Aku Uka Palace where another political party was also holding a rally, just as they did in Karim on December 26, 2018 during which they prevented the PDP senatorial and House of Representatives candidates from campaigning.”
