By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has become jittery over its impending defeat ahead of the 2023 general election, hence the party recently raised unfounded alarm that APC in working with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the 2023 elections.
In a statement issued yesterday by the National Secretary of APC, James Akpanudoedehe, the party said APC has not need to rig any election given that Nigerians have already made their political choice clear by continuing to vote for the broom party.
“Our latest victory being the bye-election for the House of Representatives seat for the Lere Federal Constituency in Kaduna state. Going by PDP’s past and current antecedents, it is obvious that Nigerians will continue to reject the party.
“PDP’s rejection is further reinforced by APC’s widely accepted and hugely successful membership registration exercise which has recorded APC membership strength at over 40 million.
“The gale of defections by PDP members and leaders to the APC has left the failed opposition party in a camatose state, rendering it incapable of matching the APC in a free, fair and transparent electoral contest.
“The rudderless PDP leadership has undoubtedly brought the failed opposition party to its knees permanently”, the statement by APC said.
The party said it will not learn PDP’s bad habits on election fraud, pointing out that credibility of elections has continued to improve under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government.
It vowed to continue to support constitutionally-permitted innovations by INEC to ensure the sanctity of votes and the entire electioneering process, but emphasized that in all elections, valid votes must count just as the will of the majority of electorates must prevail.
While dismissing the as idle conspiracies the PDP’s claim of connivance between INEC and APC to rig the 2023 elections, the ruling party siad “The idle conspiracies and wild allegations being bandied by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the procurement of E-voting machines and plans to rig the 2023 elections, is clear testimony that the PDP has already conceded election defeat long before the 2023 electioneering process.
“In its desperate bid to remain in public reckoning, the PDP has recently resorted to many diversionary activities, including the recent misguided court case instituted against the national caretaker leadership of the APC which has been generally dismissed as an abuse of court process.
“The PDP has now issued an irrational and baseless statement on imagined plans to rig the 2023 general elections. The PDP is clearly unsettled and afraid of the APC’s widespread popularity. Hence, the PDP’s imaginary, baseless and concocted allegations of a plan to rig the 2023 elections.”
