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Address by the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus on the occasion of the 84th National Executive Committee (NEC) Meeting of the Party at PDP National Headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, 19, February, 2019
Protocols,
Preamble,
It is with mixed feelings that I welcome you to the 84th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of our great party – the People Democratic Party (PDP).
My hope was that our next NEC meeting, this one in particular, was going to be an electoral victory celebration; but it hasn’t yet turned out the way we anticipate it to.
Nevertheless, our victory is delayed, it cannot be denied.
In reality some anti-democratic forces cropped up to delay our victory dance but surely it would come because Nigerians have resolved and are determined to throw away the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
So instead of victory celebrations, everyone will be briefed on recent developments in our polity, especially on the issues used as excuses to reschedule the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
INEC:
In the course of preparing for this election we have had reasons to complain to the INEC and other critical stakeholders concerning developments we found injurious to a free, fair and credible elections
The challenge that we now face is one of expectation. Those entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that the expression of the people’s will is made manifest, have time and again failed to demonstrate good faith. We expect better than we are getting,
A sick narrative has emerged, one of systemic and systematic rigging, manipulation of the true record of the voters register and a cabal you can no longer trust with the trajectory and growth of our democracy and Nation. This is the evidence of bad faith by those managing the election and the Government of the day:
1. Systemic Manipulation of the Voters Register
It is clear that INEC did not in fact do a cleanup of the register of voters before it published it
2. Abuse of PVC
The Voter’s register contains the data of dead voters.
Permanent Voters Cards for dead voters were printed and distributed nationwide. .
We have evidence that over 1,050,051 dead voters will vote in this election.
The idea of ghost voters is consistent with the nature of this virtual President.
3. Registration of Foreigners as Voters
There has been a coordinated approach to register foreigners as voters, mainly from Niger and Cameroon.
That is why INEC has established so many polling Units along the border with Cameroon and Niger.
4. Manipulation of Security Agencies
As we prepare for the general elections on Saturday, multiple intelligence sources available to us in PDP, shows that All Progressives Congress, APC, in conjunction with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, through their ICT situation room have concluded plans to manipulate the outcome of Saturday’s election in the followings ways.
National Campaigns.
Before last Saturday’s botched election, the Presidential Campaign Council of our party had successfully conducted nationwide campaign.
But it is with great gratitude to God that I announce to you that the party conducted a hitch free campaign throughout the country. No violence or death was recorded throughout all our campaigns despite unprecedented turn out in our rallies.
Evidently, and from further feedback, I can with a sense of certainty state that Nigerians have resolved to return PDP to power, in 2019.
Overwhelmed by this reality, the ruling party, APC), decided to sabotage the Electoral body who had earlier played into their hands by allowing the cabals and other APC hawks to hijack the activities of the commission as contractors and consultants.
APC’s Grandstanding
Beloved party leaders you may have been following the ranting of APC leaders since last Saturday, where they have been trying hard to extricate themselves from the mess that led to the postponement of the elections, but the more they try the more it became clearer that they were indeed a critical accomplice in the untidy outing of the electoral commission.
While the APC Director of Planning and Election monitoring, who is the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Barr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, and the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiohmole struggled to turn the mess of last Saturday away from their party through their various utterances, they end up exposing their involvement in a marriage that has gone sour. They still believe that they can deceive Nigerians into not recognizing crocodile tears from the real ones.
Buhari’s Shoot at Sight Directive.
You may have been shocked like many other Nigerians to find President Muhammadu Buhari who has been virtually off duty since the needless bloodletting in various states of the country particularly in Benue, Plateau, and Zamfara yesterday at APC’s caucus meeting in Abuja remembering that he is the Commander in Chief as he charged Nigeria military and Police to kill voters.
By that directive, ordering soldiers to kill our citizens with recourse to the law and with impunity, the President has unwittingly given license to APC leaders to carry military personnel on Saturday.
The agenda of that directive is clear, to scare away voters and agents, that we have directed to defend their votes, so as to give way to a military protected political thugs, to come into the polling booths, and implement their result replacement strategy. .
Last Thursday, 48 hours to the rescheduled election, it is reported that the Director General of the Buhari Campaign Organization and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, entered Okirika in Okirika local Government Area of Rivers state with soldiers, and Nigerians and democracy watchers are wondering if this a new military strategy to rig . Bearing in mind that election are civil matters, and that law enforcement agencies usually electoral related issues, one wonders why our President called for the military to get involved in our electoral process.
Additionally, the Presidents body language alongside that of his party hierarchy, at their caucus meeting, appeared remorseless for the damage done to our democracy or the huge private and public resources wasted by the inability of APC hawks acting as contractors and consultants to allow the commission to operate.
I can indeed make the conclusion, that from inception, President Buhari, was not ready for free and fair elections, otherwise he would easily have signed the amended Electoral Act, which would have enabled peaceful and hitch free elections in 2019.
President Buhari’s disregard of institutions of states, which started with the attempt of the Executive to hijack the Legislature, has continued unabated, with the illegal suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the swearing in of an acting CJN.
Notable issues that must be addressed
1. The non-deployment of military or paramilitary units to electoral duties as this is a civil activity, which the civilian police is best trained to handle;
2. Assurances from the Federal Government that all communication assets – fixed and mobile – including the internet, be not interrupted or compromised during the elections;
3. Additionally, those visible steps including restricting movement and closure of our national borders with the Republics of Chad and Niger, in particular, are taken considering the unnerving presence of the Governors of the provinces of Zinder and Maradi, on January 31st, 2019, during the zonal rally of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kano state.
Before I end this address, I let me emphasize once again, that Nigerians are tired of President Buhari and the APC. Buhari why do you like blood, are God , certainly God will unseat you.
Besides, the PDP train is moving fast like running water. Therefore, we have enough impetus, from our teeming supporters across the country, to claim our deserving mandate.
A young supporter of our party who apparently is weighed down by hunger inflicted on the people by poor governance in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state carried a placard at our rally with an inscription, “I will vote for Atiku even if it’s with my blood”.
That is the spirit of our members and supporters out there, and we have no choice but to provide them the needed leadership required to make Nigeria better.
PDP; Power to the People
Power to the People; PDP
God bless Nigeria
Prince Uche Secondus
National Chairman.
