LAGOS MARCH 4TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has described the Monday visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Warri for a town hall meeting as a ploy to perfect an alleged rigging plan of the All Progressives Congress, APC to “subvert the electoral process and the ultimate democratic decisions of Deltans” ahead of the March 9 governorship and house of assembly elections in the state.
The party while reacting to the visit by the President stated that “it is indeed a thing of shame that President Buhari will ignore other very important and urgent State matters to come to Warri to be at the head of a despicable scheme to manipulate and swing votes in favour of the unpopular APC and its candidates.”
The PDP in a statement by its publicity secretary, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, noted that the President’s “tricks and treacherous game plan”, is being schemed to thwart and by subterfuge, subvert the already known will of Deltans who have taken PDP as their party.
He said: “As President Muhammadu Buhari visits Warri today, the second visit in about two months, it is not a surprise that tongues are wagging within the circles of the APC in Delta State that the trip is in bad taste, as the party supporters and Deltans in general are wondering why the president has always limited his visits to a microscopic Warri and ignoring the larger areas of the State.
“However, while we of the PDP, Delta State will not get involved in the internal belligerent matters of a party that lives in factional disharmony, we urge the President not to get involved in sinister contrivances by working to use his office as President, to scheme and manipulate the electoral process.
“We say this because of the March 9, 2019 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections, as we have it on good authority that Buhari’s trip is not altruistic, and has nothing to do with the good and progress of Delta State.
“Already, the entire Delta State is abuzz with claims and insinuations and it is being openly said that the President and indeed the whole gamut of well known election manipulators and hatchet men in the national APC leadership, are visiting Delta State ostensibly to perfect an APC rigging plan and subvert the electoral process and the ultimate democratic decisions of Deltans who have sworn to return Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for a well deserved second term and vote for all the PDP candidates in the March 9, 2019 State Assembly elections.”
Alleging plans to use state powers to manipulate the voting exercise, the PDP said: “We also decry the shameful, slimy drive of Buhari and his detestable mission to use the power of State to secretly get the various agencies of the Federal Government, namely, the INEC, the police, the military and other security agencies to intimidate and harass PDP supporters, voters and subvert their democratic will and foist on the State an unpopular APC and its candidate.
“While the foregoing is to seriously inform and educate the general public of Delta State, we warn that President Muhammadu Buhari must be held responsible for any complications that may develop from his inglorious interference in the voting process in Delta State.
“Let the president be reassured that the people of Delta State are resolute in their decision to vote for the PDP candidates and keeping the party in Delta State. Certainly, he should understand that no amount of intimidation and other ill-conceived and devious ideas to thwart the peoples’ will shall thrive because Delta State is PDP and PDP is Delta State.
“We totally condemn Mr. President’s moves and schemes and say that they are mean and uncomplimentary. It is curious why the President has chosen to visit Warri at a time like this in the heat of preparations for, and almost on the eve of the State elections in which his party, and the APC is the major opposition party. We warn that he should not do anything that would be seen as his interference in the process that will make Saturday’s election not to be free, fair and credible.”
VANGUARD