The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the allegation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that it was used as a guinea pig by the PDP-led Federal Government to ensure victory for its candidate in the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State as lacking in logic.
The PDP, in a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, said the APC was showing itself to right-thinking Nigerians as being made up of self-centred people who would never see anything good in other people not sharing the same political belief.
The PDP was reacting to the claim by Jide Awe, the APC chairman, that Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State was able to retain his seat in the August 9 election because the PDP was unable to manipulate the poll like it did in Ekiti.
However, the PDP said it knew that APC’s stock in trade was to debase anything that did not politically favour it no matter how good or noble.
“By now, we are sure that Nigerians, and even outsiders familiar with political developments in the country and who are not bought over by the propaganda machinery of the APC, would have seen the double speak and the double standards in the party. “APC is only interested in destroying whatever does not favour it. How were they used as guinea pig in Ekiti? Let them explain to the whole world. The Ekiti June 21 election was adjudged credible, free and fair by local and international observers.
“It is only the purblind eyes of APC leaders that could not see the election the way others saw it. Also, their reprobate minds could not comprehend because they are heading for destruction.
“They should be told to keep their ‘gun powder’ to prove how they were cheated in the election for their wilderness journey at the tribunal. We know that they are only going to self-destruct,” Oluwawole said.
The PDP spokesman added that the claim by the APC of militarisation of the state during the poll lacked merit and could not hold water.
“This is what we are saying. In Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, their man, lauded the presence of security agents during his election. He even went to thank President Goodluck Jonathan after he won saying the presence of military men dissuaded people from fomenting trouble.
“Let them come out to prove how security men helped the PDP in either Ekiti or Osun State. In Ekiti State, there was no reported case of violence on election day because security agents were around.
“We have it on good authority that APC leaders were saying that they could have disrupted the collation of results when they were getting feelers that they were losing in almost all polling units in Ekiti,”he added.
Oluwawole also lambasted the APC leader for calling President Jonathan and PDP leaders thieves, saying it was Awe who had people’s blood on his hands.
“Awe should not forget that he has to account for the shedding of the blood of Ayo Jeje and Madam Adewumi on March 31, 2013 at Erijiyan-Ekiti. The law will take it course,”he stated.
On the 2015 general elections, Oluwawole said the PDP had no fear over a convincing win for President Jonathan and its candidates, saying it was the APC that had been gripped with panic.
“Their boy in Lagos had to take a policy somersault on fees in state institutions because they know that they are becoming unpopular everyday,”he said
