The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has cried out to European Union (EU) to save Nigeria from the planned rigging of the 2019 general elections by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, who spoke when the EU delegate, led by Ketil Karlsen visited him in his office in Abuja, said that his party is concerned at the emerging signs showing that 2019 election might be rigged.
According to Secondus, indicators on ground shows that the APC and INEC are not preparing to conduct free and fair election in 2019, which he said, will truncate the hard earned democracy nurtured for 16 years by the PDP administration
In a statement from the National Chairman’s media office signed by his media adviser, Ike Abonyi, Secondus was quoted as telling his visitors that the government and its agencies are not realistically preparing for free and fair election.
“What we see is marshal system of framing up opposition leaders and trying to intimidate them. They are not ready to observe the rule of law and there is no democracy without rule of law.
“We conducted election in 2015, the party and the Presidential candidate did not go to court, we had smooth transition because we believe in the rule of law
“Nigeria as the largest black nation in the globe cannot afford crisis because of the huge effect it would have in the continent and the entire global democratic community if democracy is truncated.”
Secondus appealed to European Union and other international partners to keep a watch on Nigeria ahead 2019 and put pressure on the government and INEC for a free, fair and credible election.
He said that the European Union’s visit is coming at the appropriate time given that President Muhammadu Buhari has just indicated interest to re-contest for a second term in 2019.
Secondus said that the PDP is mobilizing its members and other Nigerians ahead of the election through its rebranding project that is targeted at youths and women. [myad]
