serpentine' plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the
Presidency to rig the 2015 general elections, especially the
presidential poll, and to destabilize Nigeria. In a statement issued
in Lagos today by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, the party said the multi-faceted strategy includes
suppression of votes in areas where the President's chances are slim,
using the police and the military.
According to APC, the PDP and the Presidency also plan to use what
they have tagged a 'Third Force' to:
• Bamboozle Nigerians and project the image of a performing
Presidency, even when they admit that the current public perception of
the government is less than salutary because of its weakness and lack
of vision;
• Engage in the destabilization of the APC using moles and fifth columnists;
• Instigate chaos in the South-West using what they called the
''Old Afenifere Guards'' and
• Infiltrate and weaken socio-cultural and socio-political
organizations in areas they deem to be unfavourable to the President.
Shockingly, APC said, the PDP/Presidency's grand plot also does not
exclude even the PDP itself, as they are pursuing a strategy of
decisively and ruthlessly purging from the ranks of the party's inner
decision-making caucus all recalcitrant members, including governors
and House of Representatives members. '
'The dogged pursuit of this action of dealing with supposed
recalcitrant members has led to suspensions, expulsions and alienation
of some PDP members, and it was the immediate trigger of the collapse
of the party of tattered umbrella,'' APC said. ''After all, it is said
that a house divided against itself cannot stand." Elaborating on the
plot, APC said the North-East and the North-West have been singled out
as areas where votes must be suppressed in 2015, by creating an
enabling environment for the deployment of ''special forces'' in the
run-up to the 2015 elections. To that end, it said the plan involves
launching police/military actions in the run-up to 2015, to ensure
most of the registered voters in the zones are disenfranchised. ''The
reason these two geo-political zones have been singled out for 'vote
suppression' is because of what the PDP/Presidency called the 'voting
demographics' in the zones in 2011. The North West had 18,900, 543
registered voters in 2011 while the North-East had 10,038,119.
By contrast, the President's 'safe support base' of South-South and
South-East had 8,937,057 and 7,028,560 respectively, the total of
which was less than that of the North-West alone! ''The PDP/Presidency
therefore believe that unless the votes in these two zones are
suppressed, and those of the South-West (14,298,356) stifled one way
or the other, the chances of the President winning re-election are
very poor. Needless to say that these three zones (NE, NW and SW) are
considered to be hostile to the President, hence must be tamed,'' APC
said. With regards to the Third Force, APC said it involves
railroading unsuspecting credible and independent-minded Nigerians
with deep knowledge of, and extensive penetration of the media, civil
society, labour, youth, women and ethnic nationalities into the plan,
in which they will be given scripts written by the government and sent
out to inundate the airwaves and the print media, posing as experts
and public analysts to peddle lies and reel out statistics that have
no bearing on the standard of living of the average Nigerian. It said
that perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the plot is the determined
attempt by the PDP/Presidency to constrict the democratic space by
moving against the main opposition party which they regard as a ''real
threat'' to the President if it (the party) does not implode or is
forced to break up before 2015.
"The strategy to achieve this is multi-pronged: The PDP/Presidency
will use those they called fifth columnists, disillusioned party
members and 'deep cover plants' to fracture the APC; Play up clash of
ambitions among its leaders, as well as create and empower a new
anti-APC political force in the South-West, comprising the old
Afenifere guards whom they described as spent and disillusioned
forces, but who can be manipulated to achieve the desired objective of
neutralizing the APC; And to revive some dormant political forces."
APC said while it is not bothered by the desperation of the
PDP/Presidency to engage in unfair and foul means to win elections, it
is astounded that a democratically-elected President will resort to
actions that are far from democratic just to retain power at all
costs.
''The PDP/Presidency should know that no power in the world can stop
an idea whose time has come. For Nigeria, this is the time for change,
and change will come in spite of the shenanigans of the devilish duo.
Our hope is that these desperadoes do not destroy the country in their
rabid ambition,'' the party said. It called on Nigerians to be
vigilant in the days, weeks and months ahead as the PDP/Presidency
begin to roll out their grand plot.
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