Election violence: APC rejects PDP’s claims, says elections must be free, fair

By Umar Muhammad Puma

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the allegations by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the party is planning unleashed violence in its bid to win the 2015 elections, saying the  election must be free and fair.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja yesterday, the National Publicity Secretary, of the party, Lai Mohammed, said there is a need for all the political parties to educate their members on the need to have a peaceful and rancour-free election in 2015.

He said the party, through its national convention, has demonstrated that a free and fair election is possible in the country if the political actors and the government are serious in entrenching true democracy.

“The ruling party has only embarked on an intense campaign to portray our party in bad light, since it realised that its acceptance has dwindled due to its failures over the years.

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to disenfranchised internally-displaced persons that are scattered everywhere as result of the activities of the insurgency and urged that necessary arrangements must be made to ensure that they voted in the coming 2015 elections.

He noted that the use of security forces by the Federal Government in the election, which he said it has been doing in the past, will not augur well for the country’s democracy, as according to him, they are being used to do the biddings of the ruling party and intimidate the opposition and their supporters.

He also dismissed the allegations made by the PDP on comments made some of its members, that it is planning to form a parallel government, saying that the statements made is another way of telling the PDP not to rig the elections in 2015 as it will have grave consequence because people will demand what they voted for if they felt cheated.

He added that the violence that broke out after the 2011 election was a spontaneous reaction by electorates on the massive rigging, which denied the people what they have voted for in the election. He that the allegation being levelled against the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), of orchestrating the violence, as mischievous.

Mohammed said that Buhari, who was the presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), has nothing to do with the 2011 post-election violence, adding that linking him with it is just a criminal attempt by his detractors to tarnish his image.

He added that, should the PDP rig the elections, the APC will not accept the result. If they close borders, land, sea and air just to rig, we will not accept”.